Had wanted to prepare aglio olio but feeling a bit lazy to chop all the garlics so I opted for pasta with tonkatsu sauce, which is a much more convenient option.
Recipe for Pasta with Tonkatsu sauce
Serving for 1
Method
1 bowl of cooked bow tie pasta (cooked according to instructions given on package)
Pan fry some diced mushrooms with olive oil for a few minutes or until mushrooms are soft
Add the pasta and mix well
Add in seasonings : 1 tbsp of mirin + 1 tbsp of sake + 1 tbsp of soy saue + 1 tbsp of tonkatsu sauce
Stir fry the pasta so that they are coated evenly with the seasonings and we are done! Easy and fast right?
Top the pasta with some bonito flakes for a more Japanese taste!
For the chicken, I just marinated them with some Maggi seasoning and garlic powder, place them in the oven for about 15 min @ 180 - 200 deg. Thereafter, I brush on some honey and let them stay in the oven for a few more minutes.
Rayson requested for his favorite egg mayonnaise sandwich. Made it into a little bear to add some fun element to his bento. Ears are from the cheese sausage.
How did you prepare your egg mayo?
I added a generous serving of Kewpie mayo (we love this Jap mayo! my boys can survive on rice and Kewpie), some black pepper and garlic powder for that extra zest! Mix well and place it in the fridge to chill. Fuss free!
I would really like to try making some avocado and egg mayo spread next time, sounds so wholesome and delicious, doesn't it? But too bad I'm the only one in the family who loves avocado.
I finally made a Snorlax bento for Rayson! Almost didn't make it though. It's weird but I set my alarm to wake me up at 4 am and checked my alarm umpteen times yesterday night before I went to bed. But I did not hear my alarm at all! I certainly do not have any impression of me waking up to switch off the alarm...hmmmmm....
I only awoke when baby Rayes cried for milk and that was already 530am! I could not believe my eyes.....But fortunately, I had already prepared all the ingredients the previous night so I made it just in time. Whew! Moreover, Japanese curry is so easy to prepare, just throw everything into a pot and cook that's all.
I have lots of room for improvement certainly because my Pikachu still looks like a monster, WHY??!!
And I'm so bad at cutting intricate details with the seaweed, my hand shakes and my eyeballs went out of place and I can't focus. So....how did the experts do it? Anyone to enlighten me?
I made a video of me preparing the bento today, the quality isn't very good though. I never had the luxury of having natural lighting as all my bentos were prepared in the wee hours.
This is the first time I'm frying bee hoon and I never know it is this EASY! It's another dish which I will classify under the "fuss-free" category. I guess the canned pig's trotters took most of the credits. I added lots of cabbages, carrots and lettuces to compensate for the unhealthy canned food...keke.
Rayson is someone with very "busy" hands and I think this is one way to make him focus better during Bible time and that is to draw as we share. By doing this, not only can we keep his hands busy and let him learn at the same time, we realize he can retain what we taught him better. This works for Rayden too!
And we love our boogie boards, the boys bring them everywhere. They are the best buy so far, much much much better than IPADs, surely surely surely.
Below is a snippet of our family Bible time, Papa was teaching the boys about the parable of the sower.
The March Holidays is gone in a flash! I miss my boys!! Looking forward to the next public holiday..sob sob......
Prepared a simple bento today because usually I'm pretty tired on Sunday nights hence Monday's bento is usually a simpler one.
Rayson helped me with quite a number of chores yesterday - he folded clothes, washed the toilet, peeled the garlics and shred the cabbage so he contributed to the bentos today too!
So this got me excited as I continue to rack my brain on what other chores to "outsource" to Rayson...hmmmm......Okie, I shall teach him how to prepare his favorite egg mayonnaise soon!
I threw in the cabbages and carrots to cook with the rice and they turn out pretty okay! So, the only work that I need to do in the morning is to pan fry the salmons.
Hubby's bento
Rayson's bento
I think lettuce is really a MUST-have in bentos! They do magic don't they? A pretty simple bento looks so much yummier when you add lettuces, the wonders of having "greens" in your bentos.
Now I usually cook 3 out of 5 days, so on days that I do not cook, it's time for a home workout @ night! Did this workout after all my boys slept.
The West is really getting more happening with all the shopping malls and indoor playgrounds opening up, there is really little need for us to travel down to town anymore. Jumping on the bandwagon is another new indoor playground, LOL Playland @ Jcube.
There it is!
Very excited and happy boys
Background
The owner is a stay-at-home mum turned mumpreneur. She resigned from her job 3 years ago to stay home to spend quality time with her daughter. While pregnant with her 2nd baby last year, she brought her daughter, who has just turned 2, to the different indoor playgrounds in Singapore.
She wished that the West also has indoor playgrounds with both active and pretend play as most of them are located in the East and Central of Singapore.
So after giving birth, she decided to take the plunge and turn her dream into reality. She designed the playground to cater to children of all ages and provide adequate opportunities of both pretend and active play.
Well, after hearing her story, I really look forward to visiting LOL because I am pretty confident that a mother who has designed a playground with her children in mind will certainly know what's best for them. Don't you agree?
Toddler's House
This 2 level play gym is for children under 3 years of age,
There is this supermarket play area which my boys are not interested in at all....
A cute little yellow slide which is very friendly for toddlers.
The ball pit which my boys love as they pretend to dive in and swim.
*As I'm writing this post, I realize my boys are over-aged for the Toddler's House..oppz!!
For Infants
The baby area looks clean and tidy and they have plans to add more sensory toys to it.
Pretend Play
3 Storey Active Play Gym
And this is where my boys spent the bulk of their time.
I can't believe I did not take a picture of the 3 storey high structure but I will compensate with this video which is a walk through around LOL.
Others
Pretty plain looking party room but there will be plans to beautify it in the near future I'm sure. The nursing and diaper changing room is located inside the party room at the little corner. See it?
There is also a PSP to entertain your guests should you need it. It's free but a deposit is required which will be refunded when you are done with playing. (Provided that the PSP is in good condition after using it of course!) There are many party packages to choose from, you're bound to find one that suits your needs.
Just outside the party room are these FREE lockers (deposit required). Tell me, where else can you find free lockers?!!??
There's a cozy corner with some books and board games for some quiet time. Deposit is required for the board games. Ensure that you put everything back in place after playing.
The cafe doesn't sell much now but there are plans to start selling some hot drinks and finger food soon so the parents can chill while their children are playing. Yay!
Waiting corner for parents. It will be good if it can be made a little cozier =)
Check out their admission rates and membership. Unlimited playtime during weekdays (except school and public holidays) is cool!
Our Verdict
I will use "麻雀虽小五脏俱全” to rate it and this phrase means that although LOL is pretty small in size, it has everything it needs. The 3 storey high play structure must be the highlight of the day, it is enough to occupy my boys for hours. And I had a great time playing with them too! The play structure is designed such that each level is of 1.8 m in height, it is so friendly for adults, you won't have to worry about straining your backs or necks while chasing your children. So get off your butts and play with them! It's a great bonding time!
Being quite a paranoid (or cautious) Mummy, I never let my boys out of my sight when I bring them out. I can see the whole (almost) playground from the waiting corner so I can watch them playing and not worry about them hiding at any corner doing dangerous stunts or worse still, slipping out of the playground.
It's a really competitive market and change is the only constant which you need to survive. LOL has all these little creative ideas to attract customers. LOL isn't only an indoor playground, it offers enrichment courses like art and mummy and baby yoga courses. They also have activities (FREE!) lined up for the school holidays. You can look forward to storytelling, bubble play and doing some interesting craft work.
I see these during my visit. Coloring contest and "Spot the treasure box" game to win free entry passes to LOL. These little surprises really captured our attention.
Its location is Excellent! Jcube is only a 5 min walk from Jurong East MRT station. After you are done with playing at LOL, you can continue with ice skating at the Rink or play at Diggersite. Both are located just outside LOL. If you do not wish to spend any more money, you could just move on to Jurong Regional Library which is just beside Jcube. There, I have planned your day!
The only qualm I have about LOL is the nursing room being located inside the party room. I'm looking at bringing my boys out alone so it will be very inconvenient for me if I have to bring the 3 of them out to the washroom every time I need to change diaper for baby Rayes. Breastfeeding isn't too much of a problem because I can just use a nursing cover and nurse in LOL. Well, but I understand that they have their restrictions.
***Giveaway (18 Mar 2017 - 26 Mar 2017)***
We have 5 entry passes (valid till 9 Jun 2017) to LOL Playland to give away to 5 lucky Bento For Love's readers! (1 pass for each winner)
Simply tag 2 (or more) friends on myFacebook post or Instagram with whom you will like to go to LOL Playland for a playdate!
Optional - Sharing is caring, good stuffs are meant to share with your friends right? Share this post with them! =)
Terms and Conditions:
The draw ends on 26 Mar 2017 2359 hr
The winner will be chosen randomly
The winner has 48 hrs to respond, failing which a new winner will be drawn
The winner will be announced on my blog "Bento For Love"on 27 Mar 2017
LOL Playland
2 Jurong East Central 1, #03-04/05, JCube Shopping Centre, Singapore 609731
Monday -to- Friday: 11:00 am – 09:00 pm, Saturday-to- Sunday & PH/School Holiday : 10:30 am – 9:30 pm
*Disclosure: We have been given complimentary entry passes for the purpose of this review. No monetary compensation was received. All pictures and opinions are ours.
