Being a light traveler (by necessity! Imagine lugging around a gadget to work on during pockets of time, while bringing three children/monkeys and their peripheral junk out for the day), I have always hated the thought of lugging around clunky gadgets that aren’t fully utilized. Perhaps as I am not really a gadget sort of person (much to my geek husband’s chagrin), I’ve always contentedly made-do with the single iPad Mini we own as a family. When I needed to do more word processing on-the-go, what irked me was the possibility of having to buy and/or lug around additional gadgets with similar functions. Why have both the iPad AND a netbook/MacbookAir when all I really needed was the physical keyboard to get stuff done more efficiently?
The iPad Mini has so much to offer, beyond just being a lightweight device for entertainment. I needed something that could convert my existing iPad Mini into a platform to work on some word processing; at the same time easily detachable, so that family members could use the iPad Mini on its own when the keyboard was not required. It also needed to be not too cumbersome (or expensive!).
There were SO MANY on the market when I did a preliminary search though. Trying to figure it all out was pretty confusing! I eventually decided based on price point and reviews on robustness (in Hokkien: “Ai Pee Ai Chee”), and chose the Zagg Slim Book to try out.
The Zagg Slim Book acts as a case for my iPad mini, as well as provides a separate physical qwerty keyboard with backlighting. It protects my iPad Mini without adding too much bulk, and converts my iPad Mini into a ‘mini-laptop’ with a simple magnetic connector. It even allows me to adjust the viewing angle of the securely attached iPad Mini screen. This virtually turns my iPad Mini into a cute laptop! Yay! No need to lug around extra gadgetry/weight! I could almost hear my weary back groaning in gratitude.
It has four different view modes catered to your needs – Keyboard, Case, Video & Book modes. The Video mode has been awesome for the times when we want to watch videos (read: current dramas) hands free! I honestly don’t see the difference between the Case and Book modes; however the Keyboard and Case modes are already adequate for my needs! Typing on the keyboard is comfortable and intuitive, and its keys are well-spaced and actually come with backlighting if you need to do some work in dim lighting conditions. It connects by Bluetooth, and has so far proven to be an fuss-free and stable connection during all the times I’ve used it. It lasts for pretty long on a single charge too! Charged once with the provided micro USB port, I have been using it lightly for close to six months, and it hasn’t needed another charge yet! Zagg actually promises “2 years on a single charge”… it would be awesome if that actually happens!
Case Mode Back of casing (Pardon the scuff marks, I’ve been using this for a while!) Slot into the magnetic clip Clip into place Voila! Good to go! (Keyboard Mode) Video ModeThis is perfect for anybody who is usually on-the-go, while keeping things lean and fuss-free. The Zagg Slim Book allows the user to have a more comfortable word processing experience with their iPad Mini, maximizing their use of this power packed little gadget. It struck me that this would also be perfect for students, where tech can complement their day without adding too much load to their backs! Would definitely consider this as a cost- and weight-friendly option in the future when my kids are older. In the meantime, I will be happily clicking away on my ‘new’ laptop!
Are you lovin’ the convenience of taxis, but yet apprehensive about the lack of safety for kids traveling in them? Or do you want to take your kids along in Grab or Uber rides without having to lug chunky boosters along? The law in Singapore requires children under the height of 1.35m to be belted up in a car seat while traveling in a private vehicle (including GrabCar and Uber vehicles). The answer might be right here.
As most of you would have read from our previous blogpost that my family (Min) has gone car(e)-free for the past year. We have taken quite a number of taxi rides with the kids through this time. I absolutely love not having a car and zipping around in taxis, buses and trains instead. Though it is legal in Singapore to take kids in taxis without carseats, we know it is not the safest option. We have also read recently that it is illegal to be in a Grab or Uber type of service without proper car seats. A friend told us about the Mifold recently and I just had to try it out.
WHAT IS THE MIFOLD?
It’s basically a very very compact and foldable booster seat for ages 4 – 12 years and catering for children 15kg and up. It it literally the size of some purses. Have a look:
It weighs 750g, light enough to be carried everywhere.
It’s even the ideal booster seat to take on overseas trips! No more booster seat rentals to pay for. And it is great for Uber and Grab cars too! It’s also very convenient for carpooling and can be transferred easily across vehicles. Having the grandparents to pick up the kids last minute is no longer a logistical challenge with regards to car seats. If you own a car, you can slip the Mifold into the seats’ back pockets when kids are not in the car. No more transferring of car seats or boosters into the boot when giving others a ride.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Seat belts in cars are built for an average adult’s height. When my kids are belted up with the normal seat belt, the bottom belt usually wraps around their stomach and they would instinctively place the strap behind them for comfort, as the strap tends to cut into their neck. In an accident, the safety belts can actually inflict injuries on a child.
Traditional booster seats lift the child up into a regular adult position, thereby providing safety in the event of an impact. However, I’ve also noticed that traditional booster seats may slip during a ride. There were a couple of times where I had to push the booster back into position while Z was on it.
Instead of lifting a child, Mifold does the complete opposite. It brings the belt down to the child’s height. My boys no longer lift the belt behind them and have reported that the Mifold provides a comfortable ride.
Here is Z belted up:
IS IT SAFE?
I am happy to learn that Mifold has gained all regulatory approval in the European Union, United States of America and Cananda.
Have a read here on all the relavant regulatory approvals obtained:
At the start, I had to keep reminding myself to pack the Mifold into our bags. There were times where I realized that we had forgotten the Mifolds after we’ve embarked on our trip. It is forming a new routine and habit and I am sure it would become more instinctive as we go along. It dawned on me that it may be much easier to get the older kids to carry a backpack each, with their Mifold packed inside, together with their water bottle, before each day out.
– Setting up the Mifold
Setting up the Mifold is not difficult at all and it will get easier with every practice. If it is your first time heading out with it, I would advise you to practice setting it up with your child on, at home, before heading out. Most taxi drivers in Singapore do not wait for the kids to be fully buckled before moving off. Therefore, getting more practice in and having the belt guide and clip adjusted before its maiden trip will help everyone get settled quickly and help you feel less frazzled in the cab. I had E and Z shouting “Mummy, help me!” and M screaming “Mummy, carry me!”all at the same time.
Also, measure the size of your kids’ bums against the Mifold lap belt guides before embarking on your first trip (size I, II or III). It will save you loads of pain trying to figure the right size in a moving car. My kids know their sizes now and they would adjust the belt guides to the exact size before boarding. All they have to do when they get in is to open it up, sit on it and belt up.
Belt guide on the Mifold
Be prepared that your kids may need to your help to belt up, at least at the start. It will take some practice for them to get to the level of proficiency in the Mifold promotional video. There’s some level of fine motor skills needed to slip the seat belt into the guide and kids need to get used to trying to clip the chest strap down on their own. They may also need help to get the belt out of the guide at the end of the ride.
However, once they’re strapped in, they look perfect. And I’m glad they’re safe too. 😊
WHERE TO GET THIS?
I bought the Mifold brand new from Carousell. There are some stock available there. If you would like to buy direct, please visit http://www.mifold.com and it will redirect you to their indiegogo campaign site. They do ship internationally, though it is chargeable.
If you have bought one and need some help with setting it up, you may want to refer to this YouTube video:
Suffering from post-June holiday withdrawal? Feeling like you need to plan your next sanity break soon?
As many of our friends would know, we recently enjoyed a long awaited Germy-family trip to Perth and Margaret River, Western Australia.
What made our trip extra fabulous was our five-night stay at the Sunflowers Animal Farmstay, Margaret River! We visited the farm with Izzy 6 years ago, and knew we had to head back. Trivia note, we previously bumped into Min & her little E there. Izzy was 2+ years and E 1+ years old then (ahhh the golden ages before they could talk back)…look at the wee monkeys!
E:”Hmm…I am uncertain about this bucket-wielding girl.”
Our urban kids loved their farm experience! There were activities for all ages, spread out through the day on Sunflowers Animal Farm. We found that staying-in as guests minimized the need to make separate trips to the farm for each activity (versus if we had stayed at another place). We simply skipped out of our cottage and dived straight into the fun! The farm’s central location also worked very well as a ‘base camp’ of sorts; we sometimes went back for a farm activity and/or break, before heading out again. This actually allowed us more time in other parts of Margaret River (Time savings are sooo crucial if you have kids like ours; perpetually needing to pee, poo, eat, sleep…then poo again!).
Plus, we realized that for our kids, once wasn’t enough! They kept asking to do some farm activities again and AGAIN! While drop-in visitors at the farm have to pay to join in the activities, stay-in guests on the farm get to participate in ALL the activities for FREE, for as many times as they like during their stay (during the scheduled timings, of course). Our kids sure maxed it out for this one (I am pretty certain that I saw the poor pony shudder by Day 3, when my kids approached for their ride)!
Here’s how we tried to make the most of our Sunflowers Animal Farmstay experience…
GET RAINBOOTS FOR THE KIDS
It can get wet and a little muddy at the farm during the winter months (June-August). It helped to have the kids wear rainboots, lest they turn their regular shoes into sodden messes! (More on that later: we had quite a blubbery and sodden Izzy mess!) Besides, who can resist how cute the kids look in rainboots?!
We found cheap ones in Big W at AU$6 a pair (also available in Target and Kmart). Adults can do without boots, as we usually tread more carefully. We also brought lightweight raincoats for the kids (lightweight umbrellas for the adults) from home, just in case we got caught on a rainy day.
CHOOSE A COTTAGE THAT SUITS YOUR FAMILY’S NEEDS
The farm has a cluster of 4 cottages (North/South/East/West) to offer. Most have pretty decent views; however we chose the East cottage as it had our favourite views of the farmland. We also liked that it had the most direct route to the main action at the farm, which made it easy for the older kids to make their own way around while we relaxed.
View from East Cottage front verandah (on the right is the path that leads directly to the main farm building)
Those who prefer a playground-facing cottage might consider the West cottage, while those who want to experience having a real logwood fireplace can check out the West/North cottages. All the cottages have either a heater or fireplace. By the way, Sunflowers Animal Farmstay now offers free unlimited WIFI for guests! Very important for…ahem, the more tech savvy (read: addicted) folks!
Bed linen was rather dated but neat and clean, and the cottage had facilities for us to cook our own meals with fresh food bought from the nearby (5-min drive) town centre supermarket. Very useful for families on a budget, as it can get very expensive eating out all the time! I also found that the supermarket had a much better selection of asian vegetables and condiments this time, which made Mr. Germy (asian food fanatic) very happy indeed! And for those night owls who simply cannot tuck into bed early on those Aussie winter nights, the farm also allows you to borrow from their collection of Blu-Ray Discs/DVDs to watch the evening away.
Night view from East Cottage. Don’t forget to peek out for some star gazing!
We had consistently warm showers for our family of five, which can be a problem in some rustic farm accommodations! It can get really cold (6-9 deg. celsius) during the winter nights at Margaret River, so having warm water to shower is super important! There’s even a laundry shed with drying racks, if you have stuff that’s begging to be washed. Just bring some laundry powder, just in case!
PLAN AHEAD FOR YOUR FARM ACTIVITIES
Knowing the timings of your favourite farm activities and planning your days ahead of time can help to maximise your farmstay experience, without neglecting the Margaret River region. Here’s our insider account on what went on at the farm!
Tractor Rides Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 4pm.
This is an experience you do not want to miss! If you begin your farmstay on any of these days, be sure to arrive and check in by 3.30pm. This gives you enough time for an introductory view of your cottage, and to hustle the family to have their toilet stops (with 5 family members, toilet time allocation becomes serious business!) and what-not before the ride. The friendly farm owners will take you out on a tractor ride on the land beyond the farmhouse, where you’ll get breathtaking views and see wild kangaroos along the way. We arrived on a Tuesday (a little late at 3.50pm) and went straight for this!
The tractor ride stopped at the bottom of a hill, where everyone got to race toy boats down a shallow creek!
Okay, here’s where it got exciting. Izzy was so eager to win the race that she fell into the creek! Needless to say, the missy was VERY hissy and pissy. Talk about a blubbering and sodden mess! AND, in our rush to join this ride, we had forgotten to get the kids to wear their rainboots! Ack. Moral of the story- Arrive by 3.30pm and REMEMBER to chuck the kids into their rainboots!
Nonetheless, we all had heaps of fun and Izzy’s dignity later recovered enough to enjoy roasting marshmallows over an open fire (also warmed her soggy toes somewhat).
All this took about 45 minutes, blubbery drama and all.
And because we arrived on a Tuesday, we got to do it again (not the soggy part) on Thursday!
Pony Rides for Kids 2-6 years old at 8.30am
These rides with gentle Shetland pony “Basil” happened every morning.
Our two boys (Zac, 6yrs & Boo, 4yrs) loved it! I was a little worried for poor Basil when it came to my (rather hefty) Zac’s turn; however he (the pony) seemed okay, albeit moving slower than usual! Big sis Izzy was kept busy petting the newborn lambs nearby, so no complaints there!
“Eat more so that you have energy to give me a ride later, okay?” (East Cottage is visible in left background)
Baby Animal Milk Feeds at 10am & 4pm
The beauty of staying on a farm is that it’s very dynamic and newborn animals can arrive any day! We happened to stay during a week where there were 3 newborn lambs and some chicks barely a day old.
The kids can help with milk feeds for the babies (lambs, kids, and calves) twice a day if they wish. Mine couldn’t seem to get enough of that!
“Stop! Baby feeding in progress!”
Egg Collecting at 3pm
Our kids enjoyed collecting eggs from the farm’s chicken coop (and stomping around in chicken poop…Thank God for those rainboots). Not only that, we got to keep half a dozen eggs! Yum, nothing beats having farm fresh eggs for brekkie.
We just needed to let the staff know of our intention that morning…went out for our day of fun, and headed back at 3pm to have our egg-citing time! Couldn’t persuade any of my kids to hug a chicken though. Too bad.
Feeding and petting the 300+ animals on the farm
This took up most of our first morning at the farm as they have quite an extensive collection! Guests get free buckets of animal food to feed the animals, as they amble their way through the farm. Our kids loved feeding all the animals; but their favorites would be feeding and petting the free roaming baby kangaroos (joeys), cuddling the rabbits and guinea pigs in their spacious enclosure, as well as the quirky looking white alpaca!
Have “Chilli” Greet You in the Mornings
Okay, this doesn’t exactly count as a “farm activity” but it sure is one of my favorites! They have several border collies on the farm, and the matriarch doggy would be “Chilli”. She would go around to each of the 4 cottages every morning, to greet guests and remind them to enjoy the fresh country air (And sneak a snack or two). The kids were begging to let her into our cottage every morning!
Just one look from you would have the dogs lying on the ground, begging for belly rubs. How to resist that?!
Such a relaxing, yet fruitful time. I would definitely recommend it for families with kids aged 2-10 years old. Our kids are STILL talking about their farmstay experience and ask me when we can revisit!
We surprisingly did not get sick of the place, even after 5 nights; and also managed to cover a fair bit of sightseeing in the Margaret River region! We caught a Whale Watching Tour (lots of Dory whale talk went on), visited the Mammoth Cave (henceforth re-christened as “Boo’s dinosaur cave”; it’s the only cave there with a visible dinosaur fossil by the way), Yallingup Sheep Shearing Shed (fantastic fun, this one!), Augusta Lighthouse (where 2 oceans meet!), Yallingup Maze (another place for the kids to get happily lost in, woohoo); as well as revisited many old favorites like the Busselton Jetty, Prevelly Beach (where Margaret River empties out into the ocean), Canal Rocks, the Chocolate Factory and Venison Farm!
But you know what? Ask my kids what was the favorite part of their holiday, and they would reply in unison, “SUNFLOWERS ANIMAL FARMSTAY!!! ”
Izzy did say wistfully though, “If only there was a chance to milk a cow…”
ShopaholicMin&Co. 