On our fourth trip to Hong Kong, Steve had a little time off work and we decided to explore one of Hong Kong's finest hiking trails, Dragon's Back. We weren't quite prepared for what was in store for us (neither of us had hiking clothes or shoes), I did some rough research the night before and we decided we'd just give it a bash. We set out bright and early and took the MTR to Shau Kei Wan station, then a bus to get to the start of the trail. Five hours later, we finally made it to Big Wave Bay. That's right, I'm not kidding, FIVE HOURS. Truth be told, that's not a bad speed when you're an amateur hiker with a kid on your back or just walking at the pace of an almost 3 year old. And to give Oscar due credit, he barely complained the whole way and did a fair amount of the hike on his own (River slept for most of the hike in the wrap). We were so proud of him and how strong his little legs were! ....
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Lamma Island
On our last trip to Hong Kong, we thought we'd take a day to explore one of the other islands. We wanted a hike that was easy enough for Oscar to walk for the most part and Oscar wanted to go to the beach, so Lamma Island and its family trail seemed like a great fit! The Lamma Island Family Trail is an easy 5km (or so) walk between the two main towns, Yung Shue Wan and Sok Kwu Wan. It took us around 1.5 hours to walk the trail (with both kids walking at some point) and a stop at Lo So Shing beach for some play...
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DIY Cardboard Gingerbread House
Happy December, folks! I've been wanting for while now to get the kids a little cardboard house or tent where they could play inside. It just so happened that we had a huge cardboard box from a recent purchase and so I decided to repurpose it for a DIY playhouse. Since it's the festive season, I thought a holiday themed house would be fun, so we decided to go with a cardboard gingerbread house. I'm super happy with how it turned out and the kids have really enjoyed it! Such a great way to reuse old cardboard to make something fun for the children....
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Niagara & Niagara On the Lake
We took a spur-of-the-moment trip down to Niagara Falls and Niagara on the Lake, just before our weekend stay in Toronto. It was pouring the entire way down and made for a longer and crazier drive than usual (we could barely see the cars in front of us through the rain). Thankfully, the kids were troopers that day and were pretty agreeable for our almost 3 hour drive down. We stopped in Niagara on the Lake before heading down to the Falls itself. It was still spitting rain when we arrived so we ducked into the The Sunset Grill for an no-fuss, satisfying brunch. By the time we were done, the rain had started to clear, so we took a walk along the downtown strip - there are so many cute specialty stores, bakeries and souvenir shops to meander through....
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Santa's Village, Bracebridge
While we were in vacationing in Ontario, we took a drive down to Santa's Village, a theme park in Bracebridge. Steve's parents used to take the kids to Santa's Village when they were little and it turns out it is a bit of an institution in cottage country. When I first read up on it, I was kind of incredulous. Santa in the SUMMER?! Well, you'd better believe it! ....
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DIY Cardboard Kitchen
When Oscar was around two, he was spending a lot of time engaging in pretend play. He got a set of wooden vegetables at Christmas from his grandparents and he'd often make me lunch , using the TV bench as an oven (haha!). I had always wanted to get him a pretend kitchen but wanted to make sure he would play in it before investing the money... so I had the idea to make him a cardboard one. I kind of felt it killed two birds with one stone; he'd have a kitchen to play with and we could recycle some of the packaging/material we had....
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Our Favourite Whole30 Recipes
On May 31st, we started our fourth round of whole30, essentially a 30 day long reset with a focus on stripping unhealthy eating habits and allowing you to find what feels good for your body by eliminating all sugar, grains, dairy, legumes, alcohol and processed foods. I won't lie, it is incredibly challenging, doubly so if you've got kids - every non-complaint, sugar-laden thing they eat in front of you will be a test of sheer willpower for you (e.g. when your toddler asks for weekend pancakes and you have to make them, drizzle maple syrup on them and watch him eat them). We have always loved the way we felt at the end of whole30 - lighter, less fatigue, less bloated, better digestion, less mood swings etc, and we often do it once or twice a year when we've been a little excessive and feel we need a reset....
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Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre
While we were visiting Steve's parents in Ontario, we took a day trip to Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre, in Midland. It was a short, 40 min drive from where we were and we arrived at around 10 in the morning. It was pretty quiet that day, given that it was fairly overcast and we had the boardwalk pretty much all to ourselves. Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre is located on 3,000 acres of wetlands and forests. It is home to many species of birds, amphibians and reptiles and there are activities all year long (kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing, skiing and more). There is also a birds of prey exhibit, where Oscar loved looking at the hawks and owls, a bee house and a swan treatment centre you can visit (sadly, we didn't spot any trumpeter swans on our trip because it was mating season!)....
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Oscar's Rescue Bots Third Birthday
Oscar turned three last month. It's hard to believe how quickly time flies, wasn't he just a fresh babe in my arms not long ago? This year, like always, we asked him what he'd like his birthday theme to be. He flip-flopped a little between superheroes and Star Wars but eventually settled on Rescue Bots - an entry level Transformers, as Steve would say.....
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Seven Wells Waterfall, Langkawi
While we were up in Langkawi, we decided to visit the Seven Wells Waterfall (Telaga Tujuh). It gets its name from the seven natural pools that the waterfall flows through. We arrived in the afternoon and started our walk up to the waterfall. We didn't know what to expect in terms of a crowd and were pleasantly surprised to find it pretty quiet, probably because it was the first weekend of Ramadan....
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Langkawi
For my 32nd birthday, Steve surprised me with a trip to Langkawi, Malaysia. We had never been, despite living so close, and had always wanted to check it out as an option for a weekend beach getaway. We stayed at The Andaman which was lovely and so kid-friendly. The resort is on Datai Bay and surrounded by a 10-million-year-old rainforest.....
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Hello!
Welcome to Whim & Wanderlust!
I'm Sheralyn and this is my lovely little family - my husband, Steve, and our two babies, Oscar (3) and River (10months). We currently live in Singapore, a tropical island city in South East Asia. Steve was raised in Canada and we met and fell in love in Toronto while in university. We got married in 2011 and welcomed Oscar into our lives in 2014 and River in 2016....
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