Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
My top travel gear and tips, specially when travelling with kids
This post has long been in my drafts folder. I intended this for summer of 2014, but alas, I've really been sooo busy as you can see from the lack of posts this year (bah excuses, excuses). Hopefully I get to blog about our past family trips one day.
Anyway, hope this post may still be of use specially for those who are likely travelling for the holidays with the family. I'm listing down my top travel essentials and some useful tips for your far away trips with the whole crew. Here we go.
Packing cubes - This is on top of my list or everybody's. Whoever invented these babies is a genius. They keep the luggage organized. It's also easy for unpacking once you've settled in your hotel room. Well actually, I just bring out the cubes and put them in the closet. I always have at least one for each member of the family. It's easier for everybody to get their stuff. The set of four on the right were gifted to us (thanks cousins A&B!) while the others on the left can be found at Daiso.
Travel docs holder - For those family travels, I'd rather keep all travel documents in one handy kit for breezing through check-in, immigration and boarding. I got mine from where else again - the Japanese store. I like that it has various pockets to hold our passports, tickets, vouchers, a notepad, pen and even foreign currency and credit cards.
Toiletries kit - I got this from Landmark for only Php169.75. I like that it has a built in hook and can be zipped up into a small bag. It's handy for outings or campings where you don't have a decent shower area with a counter top or shelves to place your toiletries on. The travel bottles can be found at the Japanese or dollar stores.
Universal adaptor - I'm so lucky to have received this souvenir from one of my firm's events. But you can also purchase universal adaptors from your local gadget shops.
Umbrella stoller - It's lightweight and folds as easy as (well what it's named after) an umbrella. It comes in handy for those public commutes in other countries or places where you're not able to bring your own car. What's nice about our umbrella stoller is that it has a reclining position for when the kids are asleep. The brand of our stroller below is Apruva.
One big luggage - As much as possible, we try to fit all our stuff in our ever reliable Concorde maleta and just bring a carry on. First of all, when you travel with kids and bring along a stroller, it's a hassle to pull along a number of luggage when there's just two adults (you and hubby). Second, it saves you the wait in the baggage carousel if you only have one to look out for. Lastly, you have a compelling reason to pack light and lessen the risk of excess baggage. What we do, is we just pack a folding overnight bag for the pasalubongs and other items we shopped for.
Travel cot and sling/carrier - If you're travelling with a small baby, you may want to consider a sling/carrier specially if you're breastfeeding. I got this cozy sling from The Medical City when I gave birth, but I believe it can be purchased from Landmark as well for around Php600-700 I think. Baby would really feel snug as a bug in this, but this is more advisable for places with cold climates. Our travel cot also came in handy during our Tagaytay trip. If your hotel room does not have a crib on hand or you're not comfortable in using the hotel's, it's advisable that you bring this. I got this from Landmark for around Php1,000.
Travelling with kids is really a challenge. Always be prepared to have extra clothes, snacks and small toys on your carry on. However when the whining and bickering get's out of hand, that's when we whip out (please note only as a last resort) the tablet/Ipad. Also for plane rides with babies, try to nurse them, and give snacks/drinks to the little kids to lessen the ear pressure.
I've had my share of smooth flights with my babies as well as cranky ones. No matter what, always believe in the kindness of other passengers, they will understand. Although you can also flash your brightest smile or apologize beforehand for any trouble your kids may cause. =)
Also, never underestimate your kids. I was amazed at how my four year old was able to cope with a delayed flight and made a new friend in the process. More on that in another post.
But most important of all don't forget your trusted camera, enjoy your trip, and make lots of memories.
Anyway, hope this post may still be of use specially for those who are likely travelling for the holidays with the family. I'm listing down my top travel essentials and some useful tips for your far away trips with the whole crew. Here we go.
Packing cubes - This is on top of my list or everybody's. Whoever invented these babies is a genius. They keep the luggage organized. It's also easy for unpacking once you've settled in your hotel room. Well actually, I just bring out the cubes and put them in the closet. I always have at least one for each member of the family. It's easier for everybody to get their stuff. The set of four on the right were gifted to us (thanks cousins A&B!) while the others on the left can be found at Daiso.
Travel docs holder - For those family travels, I'd rather keep all travel documents in one handy kit for breezing through check-in, immigration and boarding. I got mine from where else again - the Japanese store. I like that it has various pockets to hold our passports, tickets, vouchers, a notepad, pen and even foreign currency and credit cards.
Toiletries kit - I got this from Landmark for only Php169.75. I like that it has a built in hook and can be zipped up into a small bag. It's handy for outings or campings where you don't have a decent shower area with a counter top or shelves to place your toiletries on. The travel bottles can be found at the Japanese or dollar stores.
Universal adaptor - I'm so lucky to have received this souvenir from one of my firm's events. But you can also purchase universal adaptors from your local gadget shops.
Umbrella stoller - It's lightweight and folds as easy as (well what it's named after) an umbrella. It comes in handy for those public commutes in other countries or places where you're not able to bring your own car. What's nice about our umbrella stoller is that it has a reclining position for when the kids are asleep. The brand of our stroller below is Apruva.
One big luggage - As much as possible, we try to fit all our stuff in our ever reliable Concorde maleta and just bring a carry on. First of all, when you travel with kids and bring along a stroller, it's a hassle to pull along a number of luggage when there's just two adults (you and hubby). Second, it saves you the wait in the baggage carousel if you only have one to look out for. Lastly, you have a compelling reason to pack light and lessen the risk of excess baggage. What we do, is we just pack a folding overnight bag for the pasalubongs and other items we shopped for.
Travel cot and sling/carrier - If you're travelling with a small baby, you may want to consider a sling/carrier specially if you're breastfeeding. I got this cozy sling from The Medical City when I gave birth, but I believe it can be purchased from Landmark as well for around Php600-700 I think. Baby would really feel snug as a bug in this, but this is more advisable for places with cold climates. Our travel cot also came in handy during our Tagaytay trip. If your hotel room does not have a crib on hand or you're not comfortable in using the hotel's, it's advisable that you bring this. I got this from Landmark for around Php1,000.
Travelling with kids is really a challenge. Always be prepared to have extra clothes, snacks and small toys on your carry on. However when the whining and bickering get's out of hand, that's when we whip out (please note only as a last resort) the tablet/Ipad. Also for plane rides with babies, try to nurse them, and give snacks/drinks to the little kids to lessen the ear pressure.
I've had my share of smooth flights with my babies as well as cranky ones. No matter what, always believe in the kindness of other passengers, they will understand. Although you can also flash your brightest smile or apologize beforehand for any trouble your kids may cause. =)
Also, never underestimate your kids. I was amazed at how my four year old was able to cope with a delayed flight and made a new friend in the process. More on that in another post.
But most important of all don't forget your trusted camera, enjoy your trip, and make lots of memories.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Passing on my childhood toys to my kids
We started the Saturday with splashing in the wading pool in our garage. JD did not want to leave his happy place. Unlike his first swim encounter, now he truly is a water baby.
While the kids were enjoying the water, I cleaned up my old room in Mama's house and unearthed these treasures.
My old tea set (too bad a lot of pieces are already missing). This was a present from Mama when she had a short vacation with my Tita Linda in HongKong.
My favorite toy, my prize when I graduated at the top of my Prep batch (circa 1988) - an authentic Licca Chan dollhouse.
It will be 30 years old soon! Takara Co. is now known as Tomy.
R loved it! She was so grateful.
Also handed over my vintage Barbies (the only ones left).
Dream Date Barbie
Peaches & Cream Barbie
Had I known I would have a daughter, I should've kept them all. But I guess it will be more treasured when you only keep a few.
Like these two most precious dolls of mine.
The pink Fisher Price Rattle doll I've had since I was a baby. The Cabbage Patch baby doll was a present from my Papa when he travelled to the US with my lola. I was around 7 seven then. Oh how I cried when we brought him to the airport. And when he came back and fetched me at school, happy tears flowed through my face.
Ah the memories these toys bring.
R please take good care of these toys, love them like I did. Hope they would last for more decades so that you would be able to pass them on as well to your future kids.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Happenings
Here's a quick peek at what I've been upto for the past weeks. Hopefully I get to write individual posts for each one (fingers crossed).
The Maginhawa food festival.
A shot at watercolour painting.
Trick or treat at my firm's office.
Undas 2014
Our tree is up :)
Peppa pig craziness in our house. Thank God for free printables from Nick Jr.
JD's got a passport!
I know I owe a ton of posts, almost a year's backlog :(
Will be back soon promise.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
R's Frozen themed 4th birthday
Wow another month without a post and it's R's birthday already! Time does not just fly, it zooms, whizzes, poof!
I just had to drop by and share with you my little princess' 4th birthday. She has been waiting for this for as long as "Frozen" and "Letting Go" has been going on forever in almost every little girl's mind.
Good thing National Bookstore already carries the Frozen party paraphernalia (banners, puzzles, coloring booklets, loot bags, cupcake toppers etc.). I just hoarded everything!
Here's her party invite for school which I just got off the internet:
That weekend, I decorated our house ala winter wonderland. I used the lanterns from JD's birthday and made the paper snowflake and pompom.
Christmas decors in September! There's Queen Elsa, loving her sleigh. Oh and hello there Olaf!
She was extremely happy when she woke up.
After mass, we had a little celebration at home. Mama invited her choir mates from church. R changed into her Queen Elsa costume (care of Mama's shop) for her adoring public.
Opening her gifts:
I just had to drop by and share with you my little princess' 4th birthday. She has been waiting for this for as long as "Frozen" and "Letting Go" has been going on forever in almost every little girl's mind.
Good thing National Bookstore already carries the Frozen party paraphernalia (banners, puzzles, coloring booklets, loot bags, cupcake toppers etc.). I just hoarded everything!
Here's her party invite for school which I just got off the internet:
That weekend, I decorated our house ala winter wonderland. I used the lanterns from JD's birthday and made the paper snowflake and pompom.
Christmas decors in September! There's Queen Elsa, loving her sleigh. Oh and hello there Olaf!
She was extremely happy when she woke up.
After mass, we had a little celebration at home. Mama invited her choir mates from church. R changed into her Queen Elsa costume (care of Mama's shop) for her adoring public.
Opening her gifts:
Oh so happy:
For her school celebration, we just brought Jollibee spaghetti, cupcakes from Brownies Unlimited, juice and her beautiful cake (care of my talented officemate).
Happy birthday R! Hope you continue to grow up being a responsible, loving and caring person specially to your little brother. People would come up to me and say that I'm so blessed to have a mature and independent child considering your age. I could never ask for more. I always look forward to our girl bonding moments. Like they say, a daughter is a little girl who grows up to be your best friend.
We all love you so much! Hope you enjoyed your party! I will never tire of making each of your birthdays special.
Monday, July 14, 2014
JD's Nursery Rhyme Themed First Birthday at Museo Pambata
Amidst all the busyness, I was actually able to pull-off JD's first birthday and my first events styling stint! So just to give you all a glimpse, I'll let the pictures do the talking. Warning photo heavy.
The invite
As what I usually do for my kid's invites, a few cliparts and rhymes from the internet, and here's what I came up with.
The stage
From conceptualizing the backdrop, painting Jack & Jill's well and the Old Woman's Shoe, as well as creating the cardboard tree for the baby, yep that's all me. The cardboard letters and fabric buntings were care of Mama. The Japanese lanterns were all from Divisoria. The pompoms were made by me from Japanese paper and with the help of Martha Stewart's video tutorial. These were all created just a day before JD's birthday (finished painting around midnight). With a little help from my kids' yayas and my eager beaver R, here are the results, voila!
The centerpieces
I searched the net, particularly Pinterest, for various centerpieces. However, surprisingly, there were limited nursery rhyme themed parties that really captured my eye. I just raked through Divisoria, National Bookstore and SM for various knicknacks and those are what I came up with. I just had to mention again, assembly was all done the day before. Yup I really am killing myself (just kidding), it was a break from all the busyness at work. For the flower baskets, I scored great deals at Dangwa and supervised the kids' yayas in the arrangements.
The candy/dessert buffet table and cake
For the backdrop, I made paper medallions out of colored cartolina and printed out JD's monthly pictures and hanged them using wooden clothespins. The carrot cupcakes were care of Mama. Bought the candy from SM supermarket. Containers were from SM as well. The cupcake tier/stand was from Divisoria. To stay in line with the nursery rhyme theme, see the baker (from Pat-a-cake) figurine which I got from Dapitan arcade. It held the scoop and tongs with its little niche at the back.
The cute and delicious cake was from Midnight Snacks. I was so lucky to have found Larisse in FB. I already saw a pic in Pinterest of the cake I wanted. It turned out she was the one who made it! Her prices are very reasonable considering the craftsmanship and the yumminess. I highly recommend her.
The venue and caterer
Daddy A and I really want our events to be a fun and meaningful experience for our guests. We had R's birthday in a zoo right?! So why not a museum this time. Museo Pambata is literally a museum for kids. Unlike the traditional museum where you can't touch anything. Here, the kids are free to play and interact in the various areas of the museum. One sad thing though is that Museo Pambata does not have a standby generator. And what are the odds that a 15 minute power outage came in time for our party! Bummer I know =( If not for that, I'd give the place a perfect ten.
Our caterer was one of the accredited ones of the venue, Sta. Ines-Pablo Catering. Mr. Andy Pablo was very accommodating and really made his clients the top priority.
The AVP
The songs I used for this AVP were Colby Calait's "Capri", Parokia ni Edgar's "Your Song" and John Lennon's classic "Beautiful Boy". Watch it here:
The entertainment
In line with our theme, we got a puppet show from Roppets Puppeteers. The Three Little Pigs was great, The Backyardigans was kind of dragging and The Tatlong Sikat, albeit the lesson in the end was maybe not for kids of all ages. Maybe we should've sticked to the classics such as Goldilocks and Jack& the Beanstalk.
The loot bags
The canvas bags were care of Mama's shop. We filled it with story books, craft kits, colored pencils and modeling clay.
Photo/video
Again we went with the very professional Marvin Rosello, whom we first worked with during R's 1st birthday.
You may not be able to remember this party, but when you look back at this post, hope you'll know how much love and effort we put in just to make your day special.
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