Ready for you, Mr. Sun!

We were over at MOA last Saturday to pick up some stuff for our forthcoming Boracay trip, foremost of which were some sunblock (very important!) and beach toys for the little girl. While the little girl busied herself playing with the beach toys on display at SM, I got these from Watson's:






Wow, spf 100! This had better be effective, as it didn't come cheap (more than P500, goodness). The sunblock with the spf 65 that I bought for the little girl still needs to be checked by her pediatrician this coming weekend, and we're hoping to get approval.

As for the beach toys, I bought a set with some plastic stuff in it: shovel, pail, the works. Tatay and I also got an inflatable toy for when we wade out into the water, something like this:

Will Allie agree to sit on it? Let's see! :P

Isn't it the cutest? I love the little roof over the head, which we hope will somehow give additional protection from the sun. :) Now, are we ready for the Boracay sun or what? :P

TWO

It's been exactly two years ago today that I wore white, walked the red-carpeted aisle of the beautiful San Agustin Church, and married the man of my dreams, my soulmate, my best friend ~ Archie. :)

Happily ever after. <3

Two years, and we have never been more in love. :) <3

Ready to hit the beach!

Nanay, that is. Haha. :D

Tatay and I went shopping yesterday for some stuff to bring with us to Boracay in about 3 weeks, and I dragged him to the Speedo shop to check on swimwear. I more or less already have an idea of what to get for myself, so I headed over to the tankinis section of the store.

There was a pink pair that I found really, really nice, but I almost had a heart attack when I checked the price tag. It was way too much for just a suit, I thought. But oh, it was such a pretty tankini. I'd have taken it if Tatay were the one to buy it for me, but since I'm buying, back to the rack it went. Haha.

Instead, I tried on a plain navy blue tankini top, just like this.

Keri ba? Kering-keri! :P

Thanks to the wonderful and very efficient staff of Speedo, I realized how important it was to have a perfect-fitting swimsuit. To complete the ensemble, I got a pair of boyleg bottoms of the same color. Now, Nanay is ready for the beach! :)

Where is Allie's and Tatay's swim gear, you will ask? Well, my sister-in-law is very kindly helping me pick the little girl's swimsuit from Mother Care in Greenbelt. I have checked the SM and Robinsons malls for possible swimsuit styles, but everything I saw just didn't measure up – they were of cheap quality and poor craftsmanship. Of course, I only want the best for my darling.

As for Tatay, we'll go back to Speedo next week to check on some board shorts. He didn't feel like browsing or trying on stuff yesterday, so we just decided on another day for his shopping. :)

That's one item off my to-buy-for-Boracay list! :)

Beach Checklist

In less than a month, my family and I will be going on our first-ever out-of-Luzon trip: we're flying out to Boracay for a 3-day beach getaway! :)

It's going to be Allie's first time to ride a plane, and first time to be actually on the beach. (We live just a few blocks of the water, but that's Manila Bay, so. Our trip to her Tatay's hometown last December, which included a sidetrip to Bagasbas Beach in Daet, also doesn't count because she didn't even feel the sand on her feet.) We're really looking forward to this vacation not only because it's an important milestone in Allie's life, but also partly because of Tatay, who deserves some special R&R from his very hectic and demanding schedule.

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And because I am a sucker for preparation (nothing beats a good one, I swear), I have started to make a mental note of all the things that we need to bring, especially since we need to pack light – I always pack light whenever I travel, so it should be (especially) the same for everyone else, including Allie. For one, we can't bring her sterilizer, her bath chair, and her other personal effects all the way to Boracay. I've done some research on how to manually sterilize her bottles (i.e., pouring hot water on them), so I think that's covered. Also, I've looked up on tips on which items should be brought along whenever one is traveling/vacationing in the beach with a toddler, and there are plenty of sites that offer lists. Modern Mom and Mommy's Fabulous have great suggestions, and of course, my favorite mommy-baby/pregnancy site, BabyCenter, offers tips on how to get the best sun protection for a baby's sensitive skin.

I've picked bits and pieces from the suggestions on these sites, and have made a concise list of important items below:

(1) Sunscreen – lots of it, and with the highest SPF allowed for babies

Shameless Plugging :D

Today, yours truly is featured over at Tina's One More Page as the first guest in her new semi-regular feature/series called What I Read.

I won't be delving into what the series is all about.  Tina will tell you all about it in her blog. When she approached e-mailed me about it, the first thought that came to mind was, who am I to say no? Being just asked, by itself, is already an honor and a pleasure. Tina is one of my good friends from Goodreads, one of very few people who has been nothing but very friendly, open, and welcoming to new faces and personalities online. It is from her that I mainly get recommendations for YA books, and I trust her judgment when it comes to that genre. I am happy and grateful to know her. :)

She made me sound more interesting than I ever hope I could be. Thanks, Tina! :)

Hop on over to the post and say hi! :)