Summer Beach Trip

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Sadly, none.

Summer is over? Time flew by so fast! And I can’t believe we didn’t even get to enjoy a beach trip, the whole 1 month (plus less than a week more) that I was in the Bicol region. The region is surrounded by water and I didn’t get to enjoy the warm feel of the sand under my feet or the wonderful smell of salty air from the sea.

I should get the sunless tanning booths discount deal that I saw on my email inbox earlier because my summer wouldn't be complete without me getting a few shades darker.

summer activities

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I try to squeeze in as much fun activity on RJ’s daily schedule this summer break. He has guitar lessons and he’s also learning how to ride a bike. Because of too much pollution in Manila, it’s much better for him to do it, learn how to bike, while were here in the province. Air is more clean here.

If he can have his way, he’d rather play computer all day long. But because I’m worried he might destroy his eyes and wear reading glasses this early, I have to look for more activities that he can do in lieu of sitting all day long in front of the computer.

I ask him to help me do the laundry. He paints and draw when he’s in the mood. I also let him use my camera, with a clear warning not to drop and put scratches on it, so he can learn photography. We take pictures of birds and leaves and spiders and caterpillars.

A mom has to be creative but I’m running out of ideas. Help!

packing for vacation

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I am a very forgetful person. To make sure I don't forget anything when we go on vacation, I list everything that we need weeks ahead. I always have a notebook inside my bag, in fact I have notebooks all over the house, so I can jot down reminders even when I am doing some errands. Even when I'm out of the house and I remember something that I need to bring on our vacation, I can update my list right then and there.

So thanks to my notebook, packing for vacation is a always a breeze. From my son's nebulizer to my moisturizer, camera and the hdmi cable (high-definition multimedia interface), clothes, and everything thata we need is in that luggage.

Wanted: Maid

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Four more days and we’re back to our real world. We’re flying back to Manila on Sunday. I’ll surely miss having someone do the house chores, having a maid is awesome. Well, at least in the morning, at night I wash the dishes because she’s a stay-out maid. Starting on Sunday, when we arrive in Manila, I’ll have to do the laundry, clean the house, do everything by my lonesome self again.

Our vacation here in the province was so stress-free. I didn’t have to worry about the meals, the unclean house and the dirty laundry. Thanks to our maid.

I have no luck in finding a good maid that I can bring in the city. How I wish there’s a maid catalog just like that of Avon products. That would make things easier for people looking for a good helper. Just browse the catalog, compare the maids and find the perfect one for your family!

excited!

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Last time we went home, to the province, was more than a year ago. And it was not a happy occasion because we had to bid our final goodbye to our grandma. But we're going to spend this year's Yuletide Season in Albay. And this vacation will surely be a happy and exciting one.

                                                                                            wikitravel

Happy because we will spend it with our family and friends we grew up with. But my two younger sisters and Dad won't be able to go home for Christmas because of work. Hopefully we'll be complete on New Year's celebration.

My Christmas wish though is to hopefully not break the weighing scale, that I step my feet on, after enjoying all the yummy dishes that will be served on Noche Buena and Misa de Gallo!

RJ's one week vacation

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My son's semestral break officially started last October 29. School will open again on November 9. But all we did, for the past few days, is go shopping and watch a movie. Although shopping is fun for me, I am pretty sure it's not fun for my son.

I was late in booking a ticket for Hongkong Disneyland's Halloween special. It's also expensive to book for the Christmas special as well. Me and my sisters are planning to go this February. Hopefully we'll get a good price on next years travel expo.

So for the remaining 5 days of RJ's semestral break, I have to find a fun activity that will make his vacation meaningful. Although I want to buy lady gaga concert tickets, I think my son will enjoy a trip to a museum more.

I would love to see Lady Gaga in action!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Hopefully my son will say "Yes!!!" and get excited instead of just saying "Ah, ok" with the activities that I have planned for the next few days.

why i don't join blog contests

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I joined two contests Christmas of last year. I got my ego heart broken and decided not to take the risk again. I knew my work was better than the winners. My jaw dropped when I saw the winners' entries.

I only have two major, major reasons why I don't ever want to join blog contests again.

1. I can't stand waiting for the announcement of winners. I feel like hyperventilating everytime I'm about to check the site of the contest. Announcing the winner weeks after the contest is such a lame and yes, dirty! trick of forcing (yes, I said forcing!) other bloggers, who joined the contest, to daily visit the sponsor's blog. The sponsor should set a date as to when the names of the winners will be revealed. If the date has finally arrived and the sponsor can't announce the winners yet, a new and final date should then be set.

2. Winning depends on the hands of only one person. A courtroom, not here in our country though, has a jury to decide on a verdict. A beauty contest has more than one judge. These blog contests should therefore have more heads working to make a good and fair decision.

So there, I will not join a blog contest again. Well, not unless it's an all-expense paid Orlando vacations!

PAL midnight special!

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soooo hot!

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 Why are you so happy Mr. Sun? Can you at least distance yourself a few light-years away from Mother Earth?

 That is me right now, I am not kidding! It is sooo hot in the Philippines.

 This is what I need right now. Rain.

create custom made swing sets for your backyard

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El Nino is at its peak here in the Philippines already. The scourging heat of Mr. Sun can be felt even if one is already hiding under a tree. Combined with very humid air, taking a bath 10 (ten) times a day is not enough to stay fresh and clean. The horrible punishment of Mr. Sun ends late afternoon at around 5pm. I am planning to have swing sets installed in our backyard, more relaxing to sit on one than on a garden chair.

Kid's Creations, a swing set builder for residential use, lets you custom design your own swing sets with a 3D building program. The designed swing sets can be viewed from every angle. Structures can be added, deleted or changed. Once the basic framework is complete, the real fun begins. Accessorizing is what will make a backyard swing set different from others in the market.

My son will surely love doing the design especially adding the swing set accessories! Accessories are different for toddlers and big kids. The following accessories are available: tire swings, draw bridges, glider swings, wave slides, climbing rock walls, trapeze bar and monkey bars. Fun, fun, fun!

Did I also mention that they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee and a LIFETIME warranty? Not yet? Well, they do!

I am imagining myself sitting on my newly installed swing sets and enjoying the cool afternoon breeze while reading a good book. My son enjoying the swing set plus accessories that he himself designed. Or maybe enjoying a glass of mango-strawberry shake while playing chess with my son.

bore-away travel bag, do you have one?

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School vacation starts next month. Yaay for me? For two or more months, I have to spend 24/7 with a child who gets bored easily? Hmmm. That is why, as early as now, I am already looking for vacation packages that includes discount airfare. My son has never travelled internationally before. Why? First of all, travelling internationally is a bit heavy in the pocket. Small kids would never remember the experience yet, so it would just be a waste of money. He has no memory at all of local travels that we had when he was younger. I myself will not enjoy most of the trip because I will waste my time worrying if my son is enjoying the vacation or is already bored. That's what we mom's do all the time. Worry for our child, right?

This time around, now that he's old enough to take care of himself and his things (I hope!), I will stuff the "bore-away" travel bag with things that can help him not get bored during the whole vacation. RJ, in case you don't know, is a very active child and sitting still is not included in his vocabulary.

Here's a partial list, I may put more and remove some, of the contents of the "bore-away-travel-bag".

1. Board Games. He's into chess at the moment so this will definitely take away some minutes (30 minutes I hope!) to his "I am bored" time.

2. Nintendo DSi. Will stuff the memory card with loads of games. Is this advisable to use on a plane though. Will check with the airline before finalizing my list.

3. Drawing book. Together with crayons and colored pens, in a few minutes he will finish the whole book with drawings. I should bring lots of blank drawing books.

4. Ipod. High School Musical songs will do the trick. He also like Beatles songs!

5. Healthy Snacks. Don't want to have a tummy-ache while on vacation.

6. Favorite Toy. I will ask him to choose 3 small-easy-to-carry toys. Not the wrestler toys that are so bulky.

That's it at the moment. Will try to find some more effective bore-me-not stuffs for RJ to bring on our trip.