That Mama: Amy Wong of Bumble Tots

This week’s That Mama is Amy Wong, the founder of brand new play centre, Bumble Tots, tells us all her mama secrets about life with twins and a never-ending to do list…

 

Where you do buy your clothes? How do you stay stylish as a mum?
Gone are the days where I wear suits and stilettos, and I have to admit, I love it! I used to buy boring work clothes from the likes of Club Monaco and Reiss and all my shoes were pretty much bought from Pedder Street! Now I have great pleasure in buying comfy clothes that are not so conservative. I love Charcoal Grey in Hong Kong and All Saints in the UK. I haven’t worn anything smart or business-like for half a year and it feels great!

How do you save time?
I don’t. It’s impossible running a new business, managing a team of staff, looking after 2 kids and running a household. I always have an endless list of things to do and when I get into work, I just do the most urgent ones first. I would need time to stand still for about 6 months in order to catch up with everything on my To Do list.

What are your organizational tricks and tips?
Lawyers are notorious for being useless with Excel so I avoided it like the plague before. But since opening Bumble Tots, I have found Excel to be pretty much the only thing we use to keep the business in order! From organizing accounts, customer data, suppliers, baby and multi-sports classes… Excel is amazing!

Get a good team of staff around you and delegate as much as you can!

Use a paper diary. None of this e-diary nonsense. You need one which you can quickly scribble things down, cross them out and clip notes and papers into.

 

What do your kids snack on?
Fruit mainly. Sometimes biscuits.

 

What is your beauty must-have product?
Too many to list! I’d say the Jergens Overnight Repair body lotion which can only be bought from the US. Every time I go over there I lug back about 15kg worth!  In this sort of weather I apply SPF50 to my face about 3 times a day. I hate the sun!

 

How do you stay sane?
I have 2.5hrs to myself when I do the school run (there’s little point in going home in between) so I will usually sit in Pacific Coffee enjoying a Mocha orange and bagel. Or I might go for a massage or pedicure. It’s the only way to stay sane!

 

Do you have any tips for keeping the romance alive in your relationship?
Always find time to go on holiday without the kids. My husband and I usually manage to get away on our own about twice a year. It means getting the grandmas out to HK to help babysit for us, but they don’t mind, and neither do our twins.

We also try to go out for dinner about once a week.

Favorite activity with the kids in Hong Kong?
When the weather is good, we’re out swimming and cycling but on a rainy day, at some point you’ll find my son on the climbing wall, my daughter in the ball pool, and my husband and I at the coffee shop at Bumble Tots!

Favorite kid-friendly restaurant in Hong Kong?
I love Zuma’s brunch on Sundays. The playroom is extremely handy!

 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received as a parent?
Don’t try and be the best at everything.  Don’t compare your own kids with others. The fact that your kids may be different makes them unique and this will get them much further in life than being the first to be able to swim without armbands! Also, don’t bother with flashcards – children learn through play and the chance to explore, not by having pointless paper flashed at them.

Bumble Tots, Units 4-12, 1/F, The Waterside Mall, 15 On Chun Street, Ma On Shan, 2631 4001