Pack Light

Otherwise you'll end up having sore muscles (from carrying all your stuff) or you'll have to pay for pricey add-on luggage when you board the plane. What you bring can make or break your perfect holiday.

But others (especially women like me :p) complain: "It's not my fault. My bag alone is heavy already...even when it's empty!" So they end up using boxes that they can only use once (because they have to seal it all over with masking tape). Or they just pay for additional luggage/ pay other people to carry their bags for them. 

Quite inconvenient if you would ask me.

The solution? Invest in lightweight luggage that's functional and fashionable at the same time. Japanese Luggage Brand Ace offers fresh new designs inspired by nature.

Rock Paint-Z comes in various bright colors that would be easy to spot in a sea of black bags and brown boxes in an airport terminal. It also adds a cheerful youthful vibe to any outfit.

The Palisades-F inspired by the resilience of the bamboo is lightweight and durable.  This would match any power suit and it comes in various sizes which you could use for 3nights, 5nights, or for month-long holidays. You could also bring them all for longer vacations so your stuff would look uniform. Or you could go twinning with your kids! The possibilities are endless. 

The Ripple, inspired by water in Zen gardens, is also sleek and lightweight. It has an added feature of "Stop&Go!"... it has built-in breaks! It's cute; and you don't have to trouble with a zipper. Modern technology allows you to seal your stuff in (it's waterproof!) with a TSA-lock without the bag getting deformed. Plus, all the bags have a 5-year warranty.

Pretty cool right?:) Hop of to your next destination in style!

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Heaven in Eggs

After our affair with art at Glorietta, Leji declared she was already hungry. We ran to the most colorful restaurant near where we parked-- Heaven N' Eggs!

Famous for its unli steak and eggs, here are other reasons why Baby Leji loved it:

1. Fascinating carvings on chairs

My daughter loves fine woodwork. Our bed's headboard is actually adorned with carvings and anything that reminds her of home is comforting.

2. Mashed potatoes!

She appreciates the sides more than the main entree haha. If only they have unli mashed potatoes :p

3 Discounted coffee

For those on graveyard shift or students reviewing for exams, you could actually take advantage of this! We just enjoyed the scent of it with banana loaf.

4. Grilled Scampi

I ate the prawns, Leji had the bed of mangoes! It was delectable.

5. Pancakes!

For your all-day breakfast fix. We had fun with their Oreo Pancakes with unli syrup. Leji played with the whipped cream after munching on her share--too bad we weren't able to get that on video.

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An Affair with Color

They say an infant's brain is like a sponge soaking up everything around them. After several museum trips and Burgoo drawing sprees, I felt like 9-month-old Leji was ready for her first art workshop. She tagged along during the launch of Swiss Caran d'Ache's most luminous colors at Glorietta. 

My husband has always been a fan of Caran's colored pencils. He says he felt a tad more artistic when he acquired a tin set in highschool haha

Leji seems to agree with her dad as she found the products on display very attractive.  We explored the bloggers' tables; she liked the Neoncolor II best. It colors like soft oil pastel yet it looks like sturdy crayon. Its watersoluble wax oil pastels were firm enough for her to hold. It glides smoothly on paper with nice vibrant shades (it comes in 84 colors). We traced her hand on paper and smudged the color in. We were inspired by Swiss artist/teacher Peter Egli who showed us how to make mountains, crystals, and forests.

When she accidentally marked her face with a red pastel, it resembled a real scrape on the face. It got Dad a bit worried haha.. I smudged it a bit with a little blue hue, and it was actually good enough for Halloween! We easily wiped it off with wet wipes.

Why allow a baby to tinker with professional stuff?

As a kid I was super budget conscious; I bought the cheapest crayons available because they all looked the same anyway. But to my dismay, it was too waxy-- making experiments on dark paper (or even just newsprint for periodical tests) close to impossible. Worse, some of it got deformed (it melted in my bag :/). I mixed it with clear glue to come up with colored stars and hearts to feel better. 

But I had to buy another box of crayons. I ended up spending more.

Moral lesson? Choose your art tools wisely even when you feel like you're far from being Picasso.

 

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What's up with the new nightlight?

Leji loves light. She was delighted when along with the new baby proof sofabed came in a new upgrade to our humble home. The Wattsmart Energy Tracker Box! And yeah, it comes with the cool neon green light so you would know that it's working for you.

The logic is simple. To help cut on electricity costs, you have to be aware which appliances you have to minimize using or abstain from. Some may not realize that some appliance brands could 
be more efficient than others. Some may opt to cook or cool the room in other ways. Better yet, others may also use this to prove that it's worth investing in alternative methods of sourcing energy for their home or company.

At least now you don't have to guess. You could regularly monitor your consumption in the comfort of your own home.

Help spread the light! Wattsmart Philippines is currently on the lookout for marketing/PR interns. For students who are interested, kindly email your resume to janaaron.garcia@gmail.com 

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0-6 months: Top 5 Toys

Leji is growing up so fast. Now she can stand on her own and reach for items up the bed or counter. I can't help but thank the first toys that helped us get to where we are now & facilitated our bonding each day that God has blessed us with. Here are our top 5 favorites:

1. Rocker

I'm not sure if this is still safe to use now

that she's soon turning 9 months old; she constantly threatens to topple it over while strapped on the seat! Leji has a powerful core!haha, thank you Lord!

But we had a lot of fun times with this Bright Starts Pink Love Bumblebee Rocker. It has wonderful toys hanging on a striped arch. Her favorite one to reach and pounce was the mobile roller rattle. It's like a hollow mini rolling pin with lots of colorful pellets in it. 

2. Rabbit

Before she even got to watch Kate and Mim-Mim on Disney Junior, she already adored this soft and lean stuffed toy we named Melby. Leji loves to grab her by the ear & hug her to sleep.

3. Mini Spaceship

Mamas and Papas babyplay recommends this 2-stage floor support seat with play tray for 3 months and up; but premature Leji only became confident enough to use it at 5 months. Now she can't go thru mealtime without it! (She occasionally complains about sitting too long though. She usually signals that she wants to bathe & drink breastmilk after)

4. Stretchable catterpillar

Next to her Fisherprice Fairy Godmother wand rattle, this is her ultimate portable source of amusement. From Lamaze, it has a stretchable coil body that automatically shrinks back to its original form. It has a neon green happy face with a playful tangerine rattle ball tailend.

5. Squeaky Penguin

Some say babies initially get to see everything in black and white. I guess that explains how this little friend from Lamaze got her attention early on. Later on, she also liked the added bonus that it has satin covered wings/arms (she likes chewing on shiny/silky stuff lately) and its easy to grab handle actually squeaks. It never fails to brighten her mood.

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