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Mom Loves To Shop

Shopping. Traveling. Living. And everything in between!

Mia’s 6th Birthday Playdate at ActiveFun Ayala Malls the 30th

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Last year, Mia chose to have a playdate with her classmates to celebrate her 6th birthday. I had to plan quick – we did not have much time to prepare for it since we had just returned from our US vacation at that time.

I contacted ActiveFun in Ayala Malls the 30th since this branch was nearest Mia’s school. I asked for their packages and I was glad their packages included food and play already for the kids – no need to book a caterer separately!

I organized the playdate in just a week (whew!) :

  • finalized the food, play tickets with ActiveFun
  • bought giveaways and loot bag items (I had some extra goodies from our US trip)
  • invited Mia’s classmates and their guardians
  • printed activity sheets and play date rules for the kids

On the weekend before her play date, Mia helped me in printing out loot bag label stickers, packing the loot bags and making sure all of her classmates had one goody bag filled with treats and trinkets.

On the day itself, we headed to Ayala Malls the 30th and the girls had soooo much fun!

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Lunch and Trick or Treat at Dusit Thani’s The Pantry

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This past month was crazy for us, with our US trip (will post about that fun trip soon!) and Mia’s birthday, I had no time to plan for the kids’ Halloween activity. We were just supposed to decorate a little for Halloween and fill up our pumpkins but I felt a bit guilty for not letting the kids dress up and have some Halloween fun. So while the kids were asleep, I searched for trick or treat activities around the metro and found one at Dusit Thani Manila‘s The Pantry!

This year’s theme was The Lost Carnival and The Pantry was dressed up in scary carnival theme with booths and eerie decors. My little girls both dressed up as Anna this time – I was hoping they would go as the Frozen sisters but no one wanted to wear an Elsa costume!

Mia posing at The Pantry’s Lost Carnival

They both liked the hoops game – the nice witch let them play even without our tickets yet!

While waiting for our tables, the girls played and prepared their pumpkin – bought these cloth pumpkin bags at Disneyland. It’s super nice because we can store it easily for next Halloween!

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Family Travels: Beautiful and Amazing Moscow!

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Warning: Post is Photo-heavy

One of our favorite family trips so far is our trip to Russia. We were so surprised that there are a lot of things and sights to see even for very small children. Honestly, we were quite hesitant to take this trip since we were thinking it wasn’t really a destination for small kids, but we were wrong. The weather was perfect (except for days when it rained a bit) – it was not too cold for Mika to freeze nor too warm for Mia and Michael to get itchy rashes. I’d wait for the day that we come back to beautiful Russia!

Here are some of the places we’ve visited on our trip, hope you enjoy our photos!

Gorky Park

It was a huge park where the kids can run free, enjoy rides, lounge on huge plush outdoor pillows or eat ice cream by the bench. My girls definitely enjoyed strolling around this park. The weather was lovely and a lot of family were out exploring the day we were there. I wish one day, we’d have similar parks like this here so families will have a better option than going to crowded malls!

St Basil’s Cathedral

Michael and I agree that this has got to be the most beautiful edifice we have seen in our entire life (sorry Golden Gate Bridge). We have never seen anything like, or even close to it. Colourful with exquisite details, it’s just picture-perfect. We did not go all the way up the tower, the passage ways were dark and tiny, so the kids were a little bit scared. There is an entrance fee to go inside – you have to buy tickets outside….

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Tips and Tricks: Packing for Your Family Trip

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My family’s number one luxury is traveling, both girls started to travel when they were still babies (read related post: why we travel with our children ). But – the happy, giddy experience starts with the dreaded and daunting chore of packing. Even for quick weekend trips, we need to bring a lot of things, from clothes to toiletries, sundries and toys, so a lot of planning and actual packing needs to be done. As much as we possible we want to travel light, but  all parents know this almost next to impossible, especially with very young kids.

Here are some tips that I could share – these are based from our family’s experience which you might find useful too in your next trip.

Start with a list – and please save it! Chances are it’s the same list you are going to use on your next trip

Do not only list what you need to bring, specify where you need to pack it. In my list I specifically put in the exact bag where to put it or whether it’s hand carry or check-in .It is very helpful so that you know where exactly to put it and where to find it should you need to get it.

This exercise helps me check whether there are items that I’ve packed that are not allowed to be brought in the plane (e.g. water bottles, perfume in big bottles, umbrella, nail clipper). I once packed a foldable umbrella in our carry-on and we had to dispose of it before boarding! Carefully planning your carry-on items it saves you time during security check and money!

Save your list and just re-print for future trips – chances are you won’t need to change the list.

Packing medicines 

Medicine – if you have meds that you need to take in transit, please do buy the travel size and pack it in a Ziploc. Just simply take it out when asked by security- since the plastic is clear, the security personnel can just check it out without taking each out. Also remember to always bring your doctor’s prescription just in case you will be questioned by security.

If you need to bring maintenance meds or vitamins in bulk, better bring the regular sized to pack in your check in luggage because there might be restrictions in bringing in liquid and meds on your carry-ons. When we travel, we always bring our kids’ baby book that shows all the meds and vaccines that our paediatrician has given our kids – we have found it very useful especially if the kids get sick during our travel.

Packing bags inside carry-on luggages

Our laptop bag and family bag inside our carry on luggage. That’s two bags in one!

When traveling with kids, best to put your purse, laptop bags and kids’ bags inside carry on luggage – this helps us just have one or two carry-on luggages and it’s easier to drag along. We have two kids and my and my husband’s hands are full all the time, and imagine if we have two bags each and one kid each (with their own bags), it’s too much too mind and handle. My husband and I each bring one carry on luggage and would contain our laptop and kid’s bags or baby bag. This leaves us with just two luggages to drag.

Now as soon as we are boarded, we simply take out the baby or kids bag out (packed with all our necessities for the flight) while our carry on luggage is on the overhead bin. This helps us minimise the times that we need to take out the luggage from the overhead bin.

Packing snacks and activities for kids

Mia helping out with our things in LAX.

Always pack a snack and busy bag that your kids can each carry. Their travel bags also serve as their link to us (the bags have a harness that we can slip into our wrists) when traveling. Makes them feel responsible travellers!

Mia’s bag contains a few of her favourite toys, a hanky or towel, a few snacks and treats. Her favourite travel bag is a Skiphop Cat bag.

Mika has the same bag (different animal though) which she fills with her small figures, her Pottery Barn kids water bottle, and snacks.

The kids’ bags – Skiphop is available in Mothercare stores

Re-usable Ziplocs and packing cubes are your best friend!

Pack medicines, snacks, extra clothes and other items together in Ziplocs and label properly. If you have packing cubes with mesh side, these are good organisers too! Packing small items together keep your luggages and bags neat. It’s easier to find your items too – especially if you pack and label it accordingly.

Ziplocs and packing cubes keep our things organised

Include your kids in planning and packing

When we plan and pack for a trip – I ask my daughters what they want to bring and help them process what’s best to bring in that trip. Make them understand that they can just choose a few toys, clothes, snacks so choose wisely. It will teach them responsibility!

Hope these tips help you make packing for your trip more bearable. Now unpacking, when you’ve returned from your happy trip is another feat altogether!

Safe travels,

LOL Surprise Dolls – Fun and Cute toys!

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Mia and Mika are both crazy about LOL Surprise toys – these super cute dolls are encased in colorful balls with their equally cute accessories. Mia started collecting these since last year and Mika and I got caught in it too!

We had the chance to catch one of the LOL surprise activation events (read more about it here: LOL Surprise Series 2 Launch)  last year in Los Angeles when we were there for a vacation and Mia was chosen to be one of the kids to do an unboxing. Unfortunately we had to go early because it was our time to go around the city and we did not want to miss our tour bus. We did have a chance though to get photos with some youtube celebrities (Sandra and Spidey of DC Toys and Sandaroo Kids) , saw some celebrity moms (Tori Spelling and Vanessa Lachey) and got some freebies.

Mia with youtube celebrities Sandra and Spidey from DCToys and Sandaroo Kids

Now that they are on series 3 – the toys got more fun and interesting! The balls now come with confetti poppers and confetti (yes to additional mess!). We ordered some toys through Amazon and had it shipped through Shipping cart and the girls were so ecstatic when they arrived! It’s more expensive to order overseas but we were so impatient because these toys have been out of stock since Christmas.

This week though – stocks came in and our friends from Toys R Us sent us a message that the toys have arrived. Off we go to the store. (Not all the toys are ours – a lot of my mommy friends asked me to buy for their girls too and moms from our “pasabuy” group had ordered as well)

 

Mia asked me to make a video of her opening up one of the balls – she was so lucky to get one of the ultra rare dolls! You can watch the video on our youtube channel M&M’s toys and travels

Now where to buy those LOL Pets?

Passport Renewal for Children – Fast and Easy at DFA NCR Central

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An almost empty waiting area!

As you may know, the DFA has been on the news the past months because of the passport appointment controversy. My sister and some friends had a hard time getting an appointment, lucky for us though, Mia is a minor and she does not need an appointment to have her passport renewed.

We initially thought of going again to DFA NCR East (Megamall Satellite office) but upon learning that there’s a sale at The Podium (read:Terrible Traffic) I had to look for other alternative offices. We considered the satellite offices at Ali Mall or Robinson’s Galleria – the latter being a lot closer to our home. The DFA satellite office in Robinson’s Mall – also known as DFA NCR Central – is the dedicated passport centre for OFWs. I initially thought that courtesy lane is not available in that office because I read at the DFA’s site in the FAQ page that the office only allows OFW walk-ins – I guess maybe the information is not accurate? Anyway, I searched online and found the satellite office’s facebook page which provided a more recent and clear information on this matter.

We arrived at the office at about 2:00pm, and there were no lines,  and there were not much applicants on the site. The courteous guard directed us to the information counter – another staff assisted us, got our requirements and handed out an application form (I left ours at home!). Here are the steps for the passport renewal:

  1. Approach the information counter – they will assist you and check if your requirements are complete. For renewal of a minor you will need to present the following:
    • Original PSA birth certificate (they will not return this document back to you)
    • Current passport of the minor
    • Passport of the Parent (or I suppose an ID?)
    • Photocopy of the front and back part of the minor’s passport (photocopy booth is available on the site)
    • Photocopy of the parent’s passport
    • Filled up application form (they have blank forms on the site)
  2. Proceed to the first window where the documents will be validated and checked. If all requirements are okay, the staff will hand you a receipt/form that you need to present to the cashier for payment
  3. Proceed to the cashier and pay Php 1,200.
  4. Move to the encoding window to have your child’s photo and information taken. Here are some reminders:
    • Make sure that your child’s hair do not cover a part of your child’s face. For kids with bangs or fringes, neatly tuck it on the side of the face – NO CLIPs should be visible. Mia has full bangs so I had to wet her hair with wet wipes so her bangs will be in place.
    • If your child is wearing earrings, they might ask you to take it off. Mia had her little studs on but it was very small so they didn’t ask that we remove it.
    • Practice the no-teeth smile.
    •  PLEASE double, triple check the details of the child. NAME should be complete, with the right characters.
  5. Once done, you can proceed to the courier counter to pay for courier fee. This is not required and you will only need to do this if you will have your child’s passport sent to your address.
    • Courier fee is only Php 150 –  I believe this is a good deal, it will save you time and money going back to the satellite office. It will add just another 1-2 days to the processing days.

It took us only 20 minutes to complete the process! Wow. Considering it took me at least half of a day to have my passport renewed the first time (yes – at DFA in Aseana). The staff were very friendly and accommodating. They even answered my questions about Mia’s visas and how we can still use it even the passport was expired.

Thank you, DFA NCR Central for a very pleasant experience! Mia was so amazed how fast it was, she even had time to go to Kidzooona after.

DFA NCR Central (Robinsons Galleria)
Lingkod Pinoy Center, Level 1, West Lane,
Robinsons Galleria EDSA corner Ortigas Avenue
Quezon City
(02) 631 0806