Crafting with Kids: Caterpillar

Since we have already made butterflies last week, I;ve decided to make caterpilar so that my kids will have an idea about how a butterfly transforms.

This craft was very easy to make and even my 3-year-old did not have difficulty on this one.

The materials needed are:

1. Empty egg tray
2. Pipe cleaner
3. Pompoms
4. Glue
5. Googly eyes

Materials needed

First, punch out holes (one on each side) on the egg tray.  

Making some legs :)

Next, insert the pipe cleaners through the holes all the way to the other side of the tray.  The pipe cleaners will serve as the caterpillar's legs.  After inserting, bend the pipe cleaners on both sides to have a more "leggy" effect.

See how occupied they are?

Glue some pompoms on top of the tray to make it more colorful, following this stick the googly eyes and a pompom in between for the caterpillar's nose. 

Final product

Tadaa!!! You've just finished another very easy-to-make craft.  

Another addition to their craft collection <3

Swimming Lessons for Kids: Perfect View Gym

With the recent disasters and calamities that happened recently in the Philippines, I realized that I made the right decision on having my daughter learn how to swim at an early age.  It has been and still is my frustration to learn how to swim, but I am so coward I could not brave the water.  Swimming is a life-saving skill that I think everyone should know how.

I saw one voucher in Makhsoom wherein Perfect View Gym offers eight group swimming classes for kids for only AED 265.  Since it was summer, I decided to enroll my daughter (I couldn't enroll my son since the youngest they will accept is 4) for eight sessions.  The coaches are two Filipino ladies and one Arab man.  Lessons are conducted every Saturday, Monday and Wednesday from 5 to 6 PM.  However, if you miss one lesson, you cannot make up for it so make sure to attend all the lessons as every lesson is important.  

On our first day, we were surprised to see how many kids enrolled.  On a 50-meter pool are almost 30 kids, one group in each corner, almost 10 kids per group.  I was like, will my daughter even learn how to swim in this big group?  But hey, we already paid for the voucher so I might as well let her try.

The first few sessions were really very basic.  The basic pulling, kicking, bubbles, etc.  They were teaching the kids very systematically and patiently, if I may add.  At first, my daughter was really struggling.  She didn't know how to kick or pull properly.  She drowned more than a dozen times.  

I am so, so proud of what she has achieved.  I ended up buying three more vouchers for my daughter to be able to learn all the strokes.  She is excellent for a kid in her age group.

Below are the videos of my daughter's progress.  

When school started, the students became less and I think it is better if I had enrolled my daughter towards the end of summer break.  Nonetheless, she has achieved more than what I was expecting of her.

For those who are interested, please see the details below and look for Coach Joie.


Perfect View Gym
C1 Building, Baynounah Street
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Telephone number:  (02) 635-9896

Ocean Chinese Restaurant

Looks can be deceiving and I totally agree with this.  Ocean Chinese Restaurant is a proof of this.  Located just opposite Zayed University between Murola and Airport road is this small and dark restaurant that caters Chinese food.  As we would like to find new restos to hang out to, we gave this resto a try.

This resto from Zomato.com received a lot of good reviews that was why we gave it a go.  We were surprised to see how dark the restaurant is.  The whole interior gave a reddish hue, the lights were dimly lit and what's worse the place was so small we could barely move.  We were the only customers during that time at 8 o'clock in the evening.  Nevertheless, we didn't turn our back and gave this resto a chance to prove itself. 

The resto's interior

First of all, I would like to apologize for the picture quality.  This is the best that my camera could do in this poorly lit resto.

For the soup, we ordered our kids' favorite - chicken manchow soup.  We weren't disappointed as it was really tasty and my kids loved it!  There were a generous amount of crispy noodles served on a separate plate and not placed on top of the soup.

Chicken manchow soup

Then we had the fried dumplings.  I was a bit disappointed here.  The dumplings lack flavor and needs more salt.  Also, the wrapper that they used were too thick that you could not barely taste the filling because of it.  I think they also over-fried the dumplings.  

Fried dumplings

For the crispy noodles, you can choose either the Asian or American toppings.  We chose Asian and I think that we made the right decision.  This, by far, is the best crispy noodles that I have ever tasted anywhere!  It was saucy and full of flavor.  The vegetables were cooked just right and I still could feel the cripiness of the veggies on every bite.  I don't want my veggies soggy.  This was a 5/5 for me.

Crispy noodles

Their mixed fried rice was not so different with other Chinese restaurant's.  It was average for me.

Mixed fried rice

Oh the sizzling seafood was awesome.  It was composed of squid, shrimp and hammour.  The sauce was slightly sour but delicious.  This dish did not even become dry even when left for a long time; this just proved how saucy the dish was. 

Sizzling seafood

The fried chicken for me was average.  It was slightly spicy so my kids were not able to enjoy it.  When we go back next time, we will make sure to instruct our attendant not to make this spicy.

Fried chicken

To sum it up, I am giving Ocean Chinese Restaurant 3.5/5.  If not for the ambience, I think we would be regular customers of this place especially with their great tasting food and value for money.


Ocean Chinese Restaurant 
Opposite Sheikh Zayed University
Between Muroola and Airport Road
Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Telephone number (02) 446-6933

Dinner Buffet: Rosewater - Jumeirah at Etihad Towers

We have been invited by our friend for dinner at the high-end Rosewater Restaurant in Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi.  If you are an addict of Hermes, Prada or LV, Jumeirah Etihad Towers is where you should shop.  This building actually houses most if not all of the A-list brands that you could think of along with the British grocery chain - Waitrose.

This wasn't my first time to dine in at Rosewater.  I actually went there last Christmas for breakfast and was actually pleased with the food, ambience and service.  This time around, we tried their dinner buffet.

We were welcomed and greeted by the restaurant's manager and were asked for our Groupon vouchers. When we entered the resto, we were actually undressed by the judgemental stares of most of the customers in the resto that night.  Maybe they were just not used to seeing Filipinos dine in a high-end restaurant.  But hey, we did not give d*mn, as we paid the same amount that they paid (kiber sa mga nega)!

Bread basket

As soon as we were seated on the darkest corner (yes, this should be taken literally!) of the restaurnt, we were given this fresh bread basket along with their very yummy butter, which my daughter devoured!  They also gave us these welcome drinks in itty bitty glasses.  Our attendant that night explained to me what the drink was made of, but of course I didn't understand what she told us so when my daughter asked me what it was, I just told her it's a juice.

Welcome drinks

Then we went to get some soup.  There were two choices - Arabic lentil or dimsum soup.  I chose the latter.  It was okay, but I have never been a fan of clear soups so for me this was just ordinary.

Soup of the day

The restaurant offers a vast selection of food from the soup station down to the desert section, all laid out intricately and labeled correctly, if I may say.

Desert station

This is their dimsum station where oriental dishes mainly dimsums and buns can be found.

Dimsum station

My favorite amongst all the dishes is this - the wok station.  I chose the noodles, veggies and the meat that will go with the noodles then come back after 5 minutes to get the finished yummy stir fried noodles.

Wok station

Too bad I wasn't able to taste anything from the entree selection, as I was too full from the appetizers and noodles that I didn't have any space left for the mains.

Entree

For the grill, I chose two slices of King Fish, which the chef grilled perfectly - not rubbery and not undercooked.  It was plain perfect.  You can also have grilled chicken, kebabs, lamb chops, etc.

Grill station

My yummy seafood mango salad with some leaves (which I don't know the name of) on the right side.

Salad plate.

My gorgeous stir fried noddles from the Wok station.  Probably the best noodles I have ever tasted.

Stir fried noodles.

My maki and sushi rolls.  The tuna was really fresh.  The Chinese buns were so tasty and soft that it could melt in your mouth.  The Thai noodle salad was also a delight.

Oriental plate :)

Our voucher also included three house beverages per person.  I had this Virgin mojito, which was so refreshing!

Virgin mojito

As I would like to try stuff that is not familiar to me, I ordered this Bloody Mary for my second drink.  This drink was made of tomato juice, Tobasco sauce and Worcestershire sauce.  But hey, I wanted to be adventuous so I tried it.  When I had my first sip, it seemed like I was actually drinking the sauce of afritada.  Afritada is a Filipino dish that is made of chicken, tomato sauce and vegetables.  My tastebuds were not fit for this type of drink so I didn't finish it and ordered plain water for my next drink :)

Bloody Mary

Finally for desert, I had creme brulee, raspberry sauce, chocolate cake and that green stuff over there, which again I forgot what it is called.  Creme brulee was awesome.  It was creamy and the top was crystalized to perfection!  The chocolate cake was okay and the green stuff was, to my surprise, fantastic, too!

Dessert plate

For AED 333 a couple, I should say that the price is definitely worth it.  Too bad that I am really not good on buffets as I get full easily.  The choices were endless, the ambience was fab and the service was superb! I will definitely give my thumbs up to Rosewater for their dinner buffet.

Rosewater Restaurant

Podium Level 2, Jumeirah at Etihad Towers

Telephone number:  (02) 811-5666

Website

Email:  JADrestaurants@jumeirah.com

At the Top - Burj Khalifa

For those who have seen the movie, Mission Impossible, I think it is a common knowledge that Tom Cruise made a dangerous stunt and was hanging on the world's tallest building.  As a UAE resident, I made sure that it will not only be Tom Cruise who had the privilege of being at the top of the Guiness Book of World Records' tallest building to date.  So one sunny afternoon, we decided to go and experience what it is like to be "almost" on the top of the world.

Sorry for the picture quality, but it says "At the Top"

Before we went there, I booked a tour and bought tickets online, as it will save me lots and lots of fuloos! Booked tickets only cost AED 125 for adults and AED 95 for kids 4-12 years old whereas immediate entry tickets cost AED 400 for both adults and kids.  Kids aged 0-3 go for free.  It's good that my youngest, Xanti, is only 3 years old so that makes one ticket free!

The replica of the Burj Khalifa near the entrance.

 Those who have booked their tickets online can collect the tickets from this machine.  You just need to enter your phone number and surname and your ticket will be dispensed.  However, if you are late for your appointment, go directly to the reception booth and get your ticket from there as you as this machine will not be able to locate your booked ticket.

Online Ticket Collection

Got our tickets!

Be sure that you will arrive at least 10-15 minutes before your booked appointment as there will be days and times that the queue is terrible and will have a waiting time of about 20-30 minutes.  While on the queue, you will not be bored as there are pictures around the waiting area showing a bit of the history of the Burj.

Please note also that trolleys, prams, strollers of any kind are not allowed At The Top.  You will have to leave these on their counters and just come back for it after your tour.

Presentation of the world's tallest towers.

I think that the Burj Khalifa should also have another record for having the fastest elevator.  Burj Khaliaf has 163 floors and it took only more or less than a minute for the elevator ride to reach the observation deck!  That was fast, no super fast!  You won't even feel the pressure building up in your ear.

At the Observation Deck.

When we reached the top, we can hear the "Oooohs" and "Aaaahs" of people everywhere.  The view was really spectacular and amazing.  We were able to observe the beauty of Dubai from a bird's eyeview.

My kids enjoying the view.

 It wasn't really scary at all.  Just look at my kids' faces.

Not afraid of heights.

Breathtaking

You can see the whole of Dubai from here.

Magnificent view.

Everything seems so tiny from here.

There's also a souvenir shop right At the Top.  Make sure to bring at least AED 10 so that you can grab a gold coin from there from their machine.

At the Top souvenir shop.

On your way out the Burj, there are pictures posted on the wall showing the history of the Burj and the people behind its success.  It's like the United Nations - each nationality has a representative.

The men and women who made the Burj Khalifa a success!

Is it worth to spend AED 125 for this?  A BIG YES!  It's only once in a lifetime that you can witness this magnificent structure that made its history in the books.  And when the time comes, you can tell your your children, grandchildren, or great grandchildren, that yes - I've once set foot in history.

The Guiness Book of World Records plaque.

At The Top

1 Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard

Downtown Dubai

Dubai, UAE

Telephone number:  (Within the UAE) 800 ATTHETOP; (Outside UAE) +9714-8888124

Website:  www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/

E-mail:  info@atthetop.ae

Applebee's

I have always wanted to eat at Applebee's but have always been afraid that it might be too pricy for my budget.  Last week, I braved the doors of Applebee's and dined in for the first time.  I was surprised to see that the price list of Applebee's is almost the same as that of Fuddrackers.  Good thing.  The only thing that is left for me to discover was the taste.  

The ambiance was not different to those of the usual Steakhouses in town.

For the kids, I have decided to order the kiddie pasta with white sauce.  The kids' meal includes the main dish, drinks (juice, cola or milk) and sundae (wow!).  The cost is very affordable, as it was only AED20.  Taste wise, it was yummy and my kids loved it till the last pasta strand!

Pasta in white sauce

For me, I ordered this steak with mashed potato.  Excuse me for describing this as only steak with mashed potato, as I totally forgot what this was called, haha!  Anyway, I ordered it medium well and they cooked it for me just the way I liked it.  Yummy I should say, but they did not have the steak sauce on the table unless you asked for it.

Steak with mashed potato

My friend ordered this grilled salmon with rice.  The salmon was a bit dry, but the rice was delicious.  It was very creamy and the rice grains were firm.

Grilled salmon 

This chicken with shrimps was okay.  It wasn't the tastiest chicken I have ever had, but the shrimps were fab!

Chicken and shrimps

This was the sundae from the kids' meal.  We ordered strawberry and they gave us an extra Oreo sundae for FREE!

Oreo ice cream

The service was also great and fast.  Every now and then a staff would check on us if we needed anything or if the food was okay.

Take note that Standard Chartered card holders also have a 20% discount for bills above AED 250.

Aside from Fuddrackers, we will now go to Applebee's as an alternative as my tastebuds are already getting tired from Fudds.


Applebee's
3rd level Mushrif Mall
Telephone number:  (02) 491-7799

Crafting with Kids: Rainbow

Today, kids are always seen with an electronic gadget on hand.  The generation today is very different from what we were before.  Kids during my time were easy to please.  We didn't have gadgets to play with.  All we had was each other and a couple of improvised toys to keep us busy.  

My kids are not very much different from today's kids.  They keep their day busy usually with their tablets or watching TV the whole day and sometimes play pretend.  I told myself that they should be learning more aside from playing these electronic games and that they should develop and enhance their creativity.  Then I thought, crafting might be a good idea.  Crafting not only develops kids' creativity, it also helps improve their fine motor and analytical skills, too.  Aside from that, the materials that we will be using for crafts are cheap and are sometimes just the things that we are about to throw away from our household. 

This time, we decided to do a rainbow.

The materials needed are:

1. Rainbow template (you can find many from Google images).
2. Glue.
3. Colored paper cut into small pieces.
4. Cotton balls.

Materials

Just glue the same color of paper per ray of rainbow and let the kids do it whichever way they want.  See how "glued" my kids were while making their own rainbows.

Kids putting on their initial rainbow pieces

Patience is a virtue

Once done, glue the cotton balls at the end of the rainbow; these will serve as cloud and your project is done.  The kids enjoyed it and the best thing is it's cheap and very easy to make.

Showing off their finished artwork