Children attempting the fishing game at last year's Family Day.

Fun, food, free – three words that most Malaysians love to hear, what more if they can all be found at one place.

ParenThots Family Day promises all this and more.

Family Day is not about getting goodie bags or winning the most prizes for free; it's about you and your family. It's about spending time and making memories with your family.

ParenThots and our kind-hearted volunteers and friends are just there to provide the platform for you.

We can provide the game stalls, activities, prizes and food, but whether you have a good time and loads of fun is entirely up to you.

At last year's event we saw parents with toddlers (who were really too small to understand what it was all about) determined to spend time playing games with their kids. They didn't care if they came in last in the race, as long as they got a chance to participate with their child. The end result? Parents were happy and the toddlers were, too.

We have a policy at Family Day which is that no child goes home empty-handed. Because of this policy, even if a child plays a game and doesn't manage to achieve the goal (knock all the cans down or throw all three rings over the elephant's trunk) he or she will still receive a token gift (as long as the gifts/prizes last, that is).

We try to accommodate all children, even the little ones. That's why we have a few smaller games for the little ones. Again, how much fun you and your child have depends entirely on you and your attitude.

At the end of the day, it's not about winning, is it? It's about trying and for every attempt at a stall game, children are rewarded.

After all, we want to see sunny happy faces and not crying children or hot-tempered and ill-mannered parents.

We look forward to seeing you and your family have loads of fun on Saturday.

Here are the final details:

Date: Aug 7, 2010 (Saturday)

Time: 9am-12noon

Venue: Padang Astaka, Lorong Utara Kecil, Petaling Jaya

Map

Entrance: FREE

To register, email parenthots@thestar.com.my with your full name, IC number and the number of adults and children attending.

Where to park: We suggest you get someone to drop you off and pick you up, if possible. If not, car pool. There is parking on both sides of Padang Astaka – one is near the Sikh Temple (if you enter via the Tun Hussein Onn National Eye Hospital side) and the other is near the Jalan Utara side. Alternatively, if you don't mind walking a bit, park at Hotel Armada or Crystal Crown Hotel. We are not overseeing parking – the logistics is just beyond us. We hope you understand.

Games:
- Ivory toss
- Ringaling
- Velcro stick
- Ball toss
- Tee off
- Tin ball
- Buzzer challenge
- Rollerball

Game for parents:
Quiz Time (best prizes saved for this – questions will be based on articles in ParenThots) – sign up when you get there.

Free sampling:
- Agnesi pasta
- Gourmet Goo baby food (http://www.gourmetgoo.com/)

Demonstration/Workshop:
- Crafts by mummy blogger Merryn Tan (www.crafty-crafted.com)

Also participating:
- DIODE! Camp (www.diodecamp.com)
- Lynn's Butter n Cream (selling cupcakes and brownies)
- Dish Deli (http://www.dish.com.my/)
- U Cafe - the mobile cafe that comes to you (selling Bubble Tea, Ice Blended Coffee, Hot & Cold drinks as well as Herbal Tea)

Other fun stuff:
- Decorate a cupcake/sandwich by Whipnwhisk (Whipnwhisk.com)
- Balloon sculpture
- Face-painting

Prize sponsors:
Blackmores
Borders Bookstores
John Wiley & Sons
Kids Station Marketing (http://www.kids.net.my/)
Philips Malaysia
Scholastic Books

Goodie bag sponsors:
Kleenex
MPH Bookstores
Nature's Way
Pelikan

Other sponsors:
Nimm2
Ricola

Reasons to attend:
- It's a fun outing with the kids
- It's a chance to mingle with other parents
- It's a chance to meet ParenThots
- It's a chance for ParenThots to meet you
- It's the BEST fun you'll have this August
- There is free food
- Great prizes
- Entrance is FREE!!

Notes:
- The first 100 who registered will receive a GOODIE BAG (with an exclusive limited edition ParenThots shopping bag).
- Breakfast and lunch will NOT be served. There will be light refreshments as long as they last.
- If you plan to be there for the whole event do bring a bottle of water just in case we run out of water.
- No pets allowed.
- Giveaways will be given out on a first come first served basis and as long as they last, too.
- Please be patient on the day. You're there for your kids, and not for free food, drink or prizes. Leave your kiasuness at home.
- Above all, have fun
 

For the more skilful, the hula hoop was easy.

Related story:
Family Day FAQs