Ewan turns Four: A Pool Party

Ewan. He is through and through a boy. Picking fights, falling into mud, great at ball games, dig riding vehicles and cannot stop running amok in empty spaces.

Three going on Four is a pretty awesome age. I love it for its innocence, its happy-go-lucky nature, its fear of punishment, its independence and for its neediness. Ewan is an explosive and expressive little man. I can read him like an open book and I'm thankful for that. He screams when he is extremely mad and he bawls when he is extremely sad. He does not pull back his punches when he gets provoked nor does he pull back his hugs when he feels loved. The best trait he now possess is, owning up to his mistakes. He doesn't attempt to lie and I feel comforted by his truthful character. I sure hope it stays this way for a long long time!

It doesn't take a lot to keep a child happy. I woke up one morning, earlier than everyone in the house and I decided to get the children's milk bottles ready. Ewan came out of his room, beamed from ear to ear and exclaimed, "Mommy! She is making milk for me! I am so happy." The daddy normally takes the early morning duties because I still wake several times a night to attend to Faye. So when I greeted the son bright and early that particular morning, he couldn't stop hugging me. Sweetness overload.

He is getting a lot more sensitive lately. Our dear boy could sense an argument build-up and sometimes before we even start our squabbles, he would demand us to "Stop Talking". Daddy and I have disagreements and we sometimes go into a debate. Sometimes subtle, other times heated. How does our son diffuse the situation? I find this rather amusing but warmly welcome his support.

Ewan: Daddy! Stop Talking Already!
Daddy: Why Ewan? I'm just talking sense to mommy!
Ewan: NO! Mommy Is Right! You Are Wrong!
Daddy: How can that be? It's not always that mommy is right you know?
Ewan: YES IT IS! Mommy is Always Right! You are Wrong! Enough Already!

With that, I won. Thanks Ewan! *haha* I really appreciate your love for me and your belief that mommy is always right. I think you are on the right track in securing a successful marriage with your wife. Jokes aside, daddy does talk sense in certain arguments too. Give him his due credit and support that man next time - when you can better weight out an argument.

Yet, besides all these wonderfulness that make up this amazing little being, there are many things that I do not like as well. Ewan can be ill-mannered and self-centred. Well-meaning friends remind me that he is, after all, a child learning about the big world of emotions. However, we get embarrassed when he replies with a cheeky answer like "Bang Sai" when someone asks for his name. He actually finds that stupendously hilarious and we cover our faces in shame. Hear that Ewan.

Nevertheless, he deserves a memorable birthady and isn't he lucky his mom enjoys throwing parties! I checked the calendar and his actual day falls on a Monday and Mondays are swimming lesson days. That made the firming of his birthday theme [A Pool Party] rather straightforward. Since his swim buddies will already be present, that's half the attendance settled. We are sure his immediate cousins will put everything aside to be there at the party as well. The dress-code was swimwear! We invited all parents, grandparents and children to get wet and wild. Technically, pool parties are not exactly safe. Drowning incidents can happen in a split unwatched second so we need parental guidance in the waters to make sure the little ones are kept accountable.

While I bubbled up many water play ideas, I materialised only two water-themed activities that I believe will bring out the most fun out of the party: [1] Water Balloon Piñata and [2] Pool Floats.

Now where should I stage the birthday celebration? I decided to use the Water Balloon Piñata as the backdrop and presented Ewan with a chiffon cake from Loving Creations for You. Susanne, the baker, has a tight schedule for the month of May but I am fortunate enough to have her slot us in for just one cake on 30th of May. We discussed about how I'd like the cake to look but eventually gave the artist full reign on how she'd like it designed. After all, every creator will accept nothing less than a masterpiece in every art she puts together. This cake is a KinderSurprise! When we cut it, we found mini and colourful marshmallows stuffed in the centre! How adorable!

1. WATER BALLOON PIÑATA 
This was my biggest headache because although I had a vague idea which pathway at our home we would like to set this up, I was afraid that my concept would fail. Will the water balloons droop too low to the ground because of its weight? Will it burst easily? Should I use a piñata stick or toothpick?

I experimented with it on the morning of his birthday when the children were off at school. I brought my ball of yarn and balloons and tried tying it across the chosen pathway only to find myself not tall enough [too short lah] to reach the higher branches of the trees. I sent a text to daddy dearest to have him home an hour before the party to help me bring my conceptualised backdrop to live.

What You Will Need
- Balloons
- Toothpicks
- 1 Pair of Scissors
- 1 Ball of Yarn

This is an easy project. Simply fill the balloons with water and hang it up. Best results when they are hung overhead so that when the children pop them, they get soaked through. [Evil But Fun!]

2. POOL FLOATS 

All thanks to Beachy Float, we got our pool entertainment taken care of! I had been following them on instagram for some time now but never found the opportunity to own that magical unicorn even for a day. Thanks to Ewan's Pool Party, I got to meet The Rainbow Unicorn face-to-face! It is humungous! So big it can accommodate our family of four.

Our invite list had an age range from 1 to 65. I needed to make sure that the young and not-so-young all have something to play with in the pool! For our party, I had the Pineapple, Rainbow Unicorn, Baby Flamingo and Log floats. They were enough to keep everyone screaming from an overdose of fun!

To rent, WhatsApp Beachy Float at 97850643 and indicate the floats you want or submit request through this rental form. We communicated via WhatsApp and arranged to pick the floats up at Ang Mo Kio MRT Station. Upon meeting, I was given a quick brief on how the electronic pump is to be used. Thank goodness for that! I cannot believe how long it will take to manually pump these giants up.

The time schedules for float returns can be tricky for families because weekday timings are from 9pm onwards. Our nights are usually put aside to tuck the children in bed so we opted for Beachy Float to pick up our returns at home with an additional cost of S$20.

For more information on rental and deposit details, do take a look at their FAQ page.

Without these iconic floats, it would have been a very different kind of pool party and trust me, it will be hard to get the children out of the pool. So be prepared for tantrums!

Remember Mondays are Swimming Lesson Days? With so much fun in the pool, I was half-expecting Ewan to give lessons up for play. We weren't sure which he would choose but of course we persuaded him towards lessons. After class, he re-grouped with us again for more free play and when it was time to go, you can imagine how hard it was. 

I don't know when it started, but it is now a trend to give out goody bags to guests who arrive at your party. I put a lot of thought into these little gifts because as the bag implies, it has to be a Goody bag. Unfortunately, what we've all been receiving thus far are Baddy bags. Sweets, chocolates and biscuits - all of which are bad for the children's teeth. The Best bags would be something useful, in every mom's opinion I am sure. I decided to patronise Wilding.sg, an online shop offering handcrafted goods for big and little kids for Ewan's friends in Singapore. It is owned by a fellow mom who works creatively on gifts that can be put into goody bags or given as a birthday present in itself! As an opening treat, please use WELCOME20 for 20% off store wide! Let us rethink our goody bags from now on shall we?

Just look at these gifts the little boys and girls got to take away on the birthday. Geometric necklaces for the girls and Catapult Kits for the boys.

I don't know how it'll be like, Four going on Five? Definitely, a little less needy because he will only grow up to be more independent. Oh I am not ready for that yet!

Happy 4th Birthday Ewan. Be good and thank you for saying "Good Night and I Love You" without fail every night.

Read Ewan's other Birthday Celebrations:
- First Birthday, 2013
- Second Birthday, 2014
- Third Birthday, 2015
- Fifth Birthday, 2016

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