We're Going On a Trip!

Not in our fave rocket ship, but you get the picture. LOL!

Yes, the kids and I are taking our annual trip to the homeland this week. Many of you have requested that I write about traveling with kids (especially toddlers) since I almost always do it as the lone adult. Well, this isn't going to be THAT blog. Haha!

If you've been wondering why we always go to Hong Kong in July, well that's because Hong Kong has its Annual Summer Shopping Festival on the months of July and August. This year, it started about two weeks early. Yes, it is SALE season in Hong Kong as we speak.

Last year, the kids and I didn't do much as HK was scorching hot AND totally humid. We spent half a day at Hong Kong Disneyland and the rest of the time (we stayed for almost a week), we wasted in the malls (to cool off mostly). Last year's SALE wasn't as great as the years before, so we did most of our shopping at IKEA and Disneyland (imagine that).

Remember this photo from last year? Evidence of shopping at HK Disney. LOL!

On a summer (June to August is summer in Hong Kong) trip once, when RL was about 7 months old, it was soooo hot in Hong Kong, I swear we all got a tan - darker than the tan we'd get on trips to the beach. My kids would get so hot and sticky and RL would get rashes from the heat.

This year, I promise things will go differently. Other than the fact that KY will be with us (Thank You, Lord! I have an assistant! KY, I didn't say yaya a!), I'm gonna come prepared!

A few weeks ago, I had received this from the nice folks of Johnson's Baby, c/o my friends from Nuffnang.

My secret weapon to combat hot, sticky and humid weather! Thank you, Johnson's Baby!

I was busy organizing things for my online garage sale when this awesome pack of products came, that I didn't notice the nanny putting it away. Alas, while looking for "ingredients" for a Baby Blooms order, I found the bag in the attic. Haay, yaya.

So yes, because our nanny left us for good Friday night (I had to let her go because she's giving birth), I had asked her to bring out the things we normally take on trips - black cosmetic bag, stroller organizer, water bottles, medicine and first aid kit, etc.

Weather Forecast
as checked Friday night

On previous trips, I had always thought I was pretty prepared. But see, in Hong Kong, the weather can change drastically. One day it's fine, then the next day, they'll declare a typhoon signal in the morning, a severe cyclone signal in the afternoon, etc. And then it gets all scorching hot again. Yes, it gets crazy like that. Especially in July. And it's wrong to assume that because this country is merely an hour and 45 minutes or so away, the weather could pretty much be the same as ours. True, it's the rainy season there, but it can get really, really hot. As in, extremely hot.

Weather Forecast
as checked today.
Bye, sunny day!
(Yea, right)

I checked the weather for this week. We head to the homeland on Thursday. Looks like rain. But see, just last Thursday, they had a signal 8 - that's cyclone material. Last time, A and I got caught in a cyclone 8 was back in August of 2007 and we were stuck at Central Station for a good 4 hours. Got ourselves on local TV, too. Prior to that day, it was very hot and humid. I swear, the weather can be crazy there.

In 2009, we were at Hong Kong Disneyland on a fine, July day. It was drizzling in the morning. After lunch, it reached the high 30s and I almost collapsed from heat exhaustion. I was still breastfeeding RL then, and I suppose I didn't think I'd get THAT dehydrated. Good thing we had our nanny with us.

In 2010, my kids and I got a bad tan at the park. Last year, I didn't think it would get as hot, as I had relied on the weekly weather forecast. Although the forecast was correct, the weather changed midday and we were sweating in fever-like weather.

So yes, this year, we are coming prepared.

Hot July visits to Hong Kong Disneyland.
From top left, clockwise: Exasperated look on RL's face, while watching a parade (July 2011).
This picture of A speaks for itself, LOL (July 2009).
18-month old RL with two stroller fans (July 2010).
A can't open her eyes for the picture, with the sun too bright (July 2010).
With PEx friends Zalvaje and Gasoline, see the tan line on my arm???!! (July 2010)
Sweaty RL with his stickers. (July 2011)

I am making sure I bring these with us to Hong Kong. Folks, allow me to present my artillery (LOL!):

These Johnson's Baby products have been designed to combat the consequences of staying under the sun!

JOHNSON'S BABY COOLING POWDER
RL is allergic to heat. LOL! Seriously, he gets really irritated when it's hot and sticky, and complains about "pawis". So Johnson's Baby Cooling Powder is an answered prayer. It keeps RL cool and keeps his back dry. What I like about this product? It cools the skin in less than a minute. Told you it was answered prayer. Hehe.

JOHNSON'S BABY SKIN PROTECTION POWDER
My kids are prone to heat rash and prickly heat, especially RL who has skin asthma. So this powder is a must! Especially around his neck area and the singit (hehe). I sometimes mix this with the Cooling Powder to give both RL and A double protection. Johnson's Baby Skin Protection Powder has Zinc Oxide that's a proven anti-bacterial agent. It also has magnesium stearate which repels wetness. Together, this main ingredients in this wonder powder helps fight rashes and prevents it from coming back.

JOHNSON'S BABY SUMMER PEACH BATH
I recently discovered this and we are currently using this for RL. It smells so good. Seriously, he doesn't smell like he's played outside all day when we use this for bath time. I'm tempted to have A use this for school days. She tends t be "amoy-araw" and "amoy-ewan", especially after a long day in school. I want my kids smelling fresh, even after a long, tiring, hot day at the park.

JOHNSON'S BABY COOLING BATH
Like the Cooling Powder, this baby bath aids in keeping baby fresh and cool all day. Wanna know a secret? I use this bath to cool and soak my kids' feet! Both of them tend to get really sweaty (and stinky!) feet. So this relaxes them and ensures that their feet come out smelling good after a long soak. LOL! Really, it works! I also like using this for their baths because they always come out cool and fresh.

JOHNSON'S BABY DAILY SUN PROTECTION LOTION
It isn't enough to protect a child from feeling sticky and hot, or from the perils of prickly heat and being "amoy-araw". Most parents forget to protect their child from the number one cause of skin disease - skin exposure to the sun. Check most baby bags, and you will hardly find a tube of sunblock. This is my favorite Johnson's Baby product ever, and I am happy this has been made available here. If you haven't tried it, go and get your kids one. It is light and non-greasy and has a very mild scent, unlike most sunblocks that are labeled "for kids". This being a Johnson's Baby product, you are sure that it has been tested safe to use for your little ones everyday. We haven't left home without one since we first tried it!

JOHNSON'S BABY COLOGNE
Out of all the variants available for Johnson's Baby Cologne, five scents are our favorites - Regular (I'm happy this is still available after all these years!), Summer Swing, Tumble, Bounce, and A's favorite, Slide. I grew up on Johnson's Baby Cologne, and it is the one thing that reminds me of summer days. Nothing like smelling like a baby, despite being under the sun all day. Johnson's Baby Cologne is a must for Play Days!

Thanks to Johnson's Baby, my Hong Kong survival kit's packed with the right stuff.

Sooooooooo Hot!

It is officially Summer! I love the sun and all, but seriously, these days have been too hot! My little boy has been complaining about the heat. He says it's too hot to even move. LOL! Who knows where he picked that up but I agree with him 100%!

We've been taking a bath at least twice a day to beat the heat. RL swims in the morning, and sometimes again in the afternoon. The heat gets really bad, you often find yourself sweating right after you step out of the shower (yes, folks from the north, it's THAT bad here). Good thing we discovered SoTrue. 

SoTrue Castile Soap is made from 100% pure saponified olive oil and is delicately scented with pure essential oils. Mild enough for newborn babies' skin, Castile soap is prized for its gentle cleansing and moisturizing properties. You can even use them on your hair!SoTrue because these soaps are TRUE Castile soaps, no other vegetable oils are added apart from pure olive oil. SoTrue because these are REAL soaps as they naturally contain glycerin and do not contain harmful chemicals.

Mia Rocha-Lauchengco's firstborn had eczema. So she did some research and found out that most baby soaps in the market weren't mild enough for her little girl's sensitive skin. From her research she learned that true Castiles were the best for babies, as they were also called "newborn soap" - being gentle and mild enough to use on newborn skin.  And so started her quest for good, clean soap. But the Philippines didn't have much to offer when it comes to pure Castiles, so Mia decided to make her own soap.

She made some for family and gave some to close friends. She made soap on and off, until she got pregnant with her second child. Turns out, her little boy also has eczema. So she went back to making soaps for her kids. This time though, she thought of selling her Castiles. Thus, SoTrue was born.

SoTrue Castile Soap - from L-R, Lemongrass Peppermint, Coffee Peppermint, Peppermint Cinnamon and Rose.
In addition to the Castile Soap line, SoTrue has introduced SoTrue Naturals Skin Repair Balm - also one of my favorites!

Actually, a lot of the organic and homemade soaps out there are marketed as "Castile Soap", with the term 
used 
loosely 
to
encompass
 any 
soap 
that 
uses 
only 
vegetable 
oils (such
 as 
the 
more 
economical
coconut 
and
 palm
 oils).


SoTrue 
Castile 
Soap, 
however,
 has
 chosen 
to 
be 
true 
to 
the 
definition 
of 
true 
Castile
soap,
upholding 
the 
centuries old 
soap-making 
tradition, 
by 
using 
only
saponified 
pure 
olive 
oil 
(not 
pomace)
 and enriching 
it 
with 
therapeutic-grade
essential 
oils 
from
 Australia, 
France 
and
 the 
United
 States. 
SoTrue Castile Soap 
contains
 none
of 
the 
harmful, 
synthetic 
chemicals
 found
 in 
many 
beauty 
and
 cosmetic 
products
available 
today, making it safe for use by children and pregnant women.

Mia says, "I am committed to making only soap I would use on my own young children. If I won't use them on my own kids, I won't give them to you."

This business sense sounds familiar, actually. As it is the same with NappyCakes. I wouldn't put anything on the diaper cake that I personally will not use for myself or my kids. So when I learned about Mia's soaps, I knew I had to give them a try.

Our favorite soap right now is SoTrue's Coffee Peppermint Bar. Hands down a winner, especially on hot, summer days.

Coffee Peppermint! Smells so good. My room smells so nice because of this bar.

Think cool and perk-me-up. I don't think I'll ever take a bath using another soap, especially in this heat. SoTrue's Coffee Peppermint Bar will surely awaken those senses and keep your body cool, long after you step out of the shower. I feel refreshed especially after using this on my face (And yes, because SoTrue is real Castile, you're sure it's mild and safe for your face, too).

Try their best-selling TLC line - the mildest soap variants for young children and those with sensitive skin. I want to try their Lavender Oatmeal Soap for RL, who, like me, suffers from skin asthma and eczema flare-ups.

Each bar of SoTrue Castile Soap is handmade and prepared in small batches to ensure the quality of each bar - making a very nourishing and moisturizing soap that is both luxurious and mild. 

SoTrue Castile Soaps, all in a row. 

Watch out for Limited Edition bars like this delicious-looking Christmas Bar!

I love, love, love this soap! I have been raving about it for weeks. I've always associated pure, organic soaps to be those that melt right away (and melt a hole in your pocket at that), but SoTrue has proven me wrong on both points. In fact, we're still on our first bar (the secret to this is keeping it dry after use)! And they're not as pricey as I thought they would be.

We're talking real Castile Soap here.

SoTrue Castile Soap - So cool. So good. So true. Try it and let your skin feel the difference!

For orders and inquiries (and the list of available products), text Mia at 09175334206.
Or email her at sotruecastilesoap@gmail.com 
http://sotruecastilesoap.com/