One weekend before the Holy Week, trekked to Baguio with BDW’s family for no reason other than to leave Manila and be together. DW loves being with his cousins and the trip would be perfect for the young ones to bond and be makulit together.  Also, BDW spent most of his childhood summers in Baguio. They have a house there which is now being rented out. We checked into The Manor for the trip which is an excellent hotel to stay in. Log cabin feel and all with a working fireplace to boot at one of their lobby restaurants.

We booked the Superior Room with Garden View. The double beds were very comfortable. Two adults can actually share one bed.

The washroom was small and a bit old from the condition of the tiles and fixtures but it was really clean. I loved that the room had a separate dressing area (third pic in the collage below) that has a working hair dryer! There was no bathtub.

The trip was quick. We only spent 3 days and 2 nights in the city but that was enough in my opinion. There’s not much to do in Baguio and even if the horde of Holy Week tourists weren’t there yet, the city still felt crowded and congested. There wasn’t much to do in the City too and the SM building jutting out of the Baguio City skyline was just very sad. I wanted to go to La Trinidad to take DW strawberry picking but it was just too long a drive to take for our dear tired drivers. If you’re planning  a trip there anytime soon, I suggest you read up on Anton Diaz’s Baguio guide here . Funny that he mentioned to avoid the “allegedly corrupt Camp John Hay operation” (his words).  We went to Camp John Hay to play mini-golf only to find out that the course has been demolished. DEMOLISHED.  BDW’s heart sank when he found out because he was really looking forward to playing mini-golf with DW . He grew up spending summers in Baguio and the mini-golf was one of his favorite places to spend time in.  There was also some sort of a subdivision now inside Camp John Hay so I’m not sure what the authorities in that area plan to do with that. And the pet cemetary? You have to pay a fee to get in now. There’s still a free area that has been very much neglected.  In the paid area naman, the tombstones have been garishly painted with what seems to be kalburo. I remember the pet cemetary and the mini golf course in the few times my family and  went to Baguio when I was growing up but now the kids in our family can’t even relate na. So we did the next best thing and  took pics of the bugoys among the pine trees. Pose naman sila. Solb!

May zipline na rin pala sa Camp John Hay, if that’s your thing. I do hope they bring back the mini golf course though. What’s a family with toddlers to do in Baguio anyway? My sister-in-law brought DW and her sons to Burnham Park to ride the boats but she had to keep reminding the boys not to touch the murky water!  We didn’t go to the horses at Wright Park because we felt sorry for the horses with their painted hair (neon pink ba naman) and scrawny bodies. We went to Mines View but we could only spend a few minutes there. The place was packed with vendors who were selling everything from sweet corn to t-shirts. What’s there to see now? Wala really. When you go up to the supposed view point, you just see other people’s houses and the mountains losing battle over commercial development.  Around the park, there were also stalls there where you can take pics with St. Bernard dogs.There were 4 stalls with the St. Bernards there, 50 pesos for 4 pictures. There were also the horses, 10 pesos per picture.  It was a dizzying marketplace and the smell of tourists being trapped filled the air.  After a few minutes of wandering around, we parked ourselves at the entrance and ate seedless Sagada Oranges while waiting for other family members to arrive.

Anyway, not all was lost!

Shopping saved the trip (well for me) and what’s a trip to anywhere without bringing back a souvenir or two?  Aside from the usual fresh strawberries, strawberry jam, peanut brittle and ube jam (at least maasahan Baguio with these yummies) We bought a couple of things from the trip too.

First up : The Rattan Rocking Horse

We found the Rattan Rocking Horse on our way up to Baguio in one of the many stalls along La Union. I saw it and got curious.  BDW saw it too and told me about it when we got to the hotel. We figured to try and ask about the horse on our way down. We ended up buying one because it’s just really beautiful and unique. The rocking horse was just  350 too. We bought the horse on the spot, placed it inside our car’s trunk and went our merry way. If you’re on your way down from Baguio, as soon as you hit LA Union, keep your eyes peeled as these stalls are just in front of houses and the horses are just displayed along the road. There are no store signs nor markers too so if you want to buy one don’t hesitate and hit the brakes right away when you see these beauties

Next Up: Brooms from Baguio

My mom asked me to bring home brooms from Baguio when also I saw these mini-ones that were being sold for 70 a pair at the Baguio market. Now DW has his own walis. Di na nya aagawan si Inday.

Last: Pine Cones!

For DW, pine cones! These were everywhere and DW had a good time collecting them. He was really curious about them! Of course he tried biting into all of them. AAACK!!! (kaya blurred ang second pic)

The trip to Baguio was still worth it because of family and the Manor is such a good hotel. Coming home to our room after a tiring day in really comfy beds in a big room was a real treat.I just wish there was more to do in Baguio though :/

And because my question was chosen, I was given a Johnson’s Baby Milk Bath gift pack! It was totally unexpected but it was such a sweet gesture. It was really cool too because that supply would last our family a good month or so (we got two big bottles of Johnsons’ Baby Milk Bath and a really soft towel).
That video where she answered my question is just one of many that Johnson’s Baby Philippines recorded. Apparently, most questions asked of her were skincare tips. Seeing Judai now, I see why it was the most popular kind of question because the woman is blooming! She is much more radiant now and in this video, she shares what keeps her skin young:

I have skin asthma and it’s important for me to use really gentle soaps and washes. I have a variety that I use consisting of organic and commercial products and among those is Johnson’s Baby Milk Bath. DW uses what I use too. If a product aggravates my skin asthma, chances are it will irritate DW’s skin too. I am his willing guinea pig and I am happy to say that Johnson’s Baby Milk Bath is part of our daily bathing rituals. I use the wash in the morning in the shower with my loofah while DW uses his with a soft washcloth.

You can view more of Mommy Judai’s skincare and other parenting tips at her special FB page within the Johnson’s Baby Philippines official Facebook page here Enjoy the videos and enjoy using Johnson’s Baby Milk Bath!

Just a Note: This post was sponsored by Nuffnang Philippines and Johnson’s Baby Philippines. The opinions and text in this post are mine but talking points were provided by the sponsors.

What’s SIDS you ask? Well in a nutshell SIDS is Sudden Death Infant Syndrome. It’s the unexplained sudden death of infants without any precursors.  Any baby is at risk and the symptoms as well as prevention of this syndrome have yet to be determined. To know more about this awful syndrome check out http://www.sids.org/

The lack of sleep and the constant fussing led me to put a small pillow in his bed to keep his blanket down and so that DW wouldn’t kick away his small blanket. Well guess what, he still kicked and the small pillow landed on his face. Of course this happened when I was asleep but it was most likely intuition that shook me awake and I found DW with the pillow. ON. HIS. FACE. I almost died of shock right then and there. I checked DW. He was ok.  As for me, I was a mess.

That’s why when Sheryl Laudico emailed me about Snuza Go, I was able to relate to her right away. She’s a new mom who just like me before fretted and fussed over her new baby when nighttime came.

• It’s a revolutionary baby monitor that keeps track of your baby’s breathing without disrupting his sleeping patterns.

• The monitor is a device that clips over a baby’s diaper and is portable and wireless. A soft rubber flexible tip touches the baby’s tummy which monitors your baby’s movements

• If no movement is detected for 15-20 seconds (you set the interval), an alarm will go off alerting you to check on your kid.

• The Snuza monitor will also alarm if no more than 8 movements have been detected per minute.

• The monitor comes with a 12 month guarantee.

• The batteries are replaceable

• The Snuza Go retails for Php 4,989.

A great video and review of Snuza Go is found below

The Company that manufactures Snuza is Biosentrics, http://www.biosentronics.com/, which specializes in bio-sensory devices. The device is exclusively distributed by Sheryl’s company Momhattan Corporation and is now available at Mothercare Fort Bonifacio, Mommy Matters (www.shopmommymatters.com) and Mama Baby Love (www.mamababylove.com).

Here’s Baby E, the adorable little boy of Jenny who blogs at Chronicles of a Nursing Mom with the Snuza Halo.

(pic courtesy of mymomfriday.com)

If you want to learn more about Snuza, just head on to the official Snuza facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/SnuzaPhilippines or via support(at)momhattancorp(dot)com. The FAQs from the Snuza homepage is very useful as well (http://www.snuza.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20&Itemid=34&lang=en)

The Snuza Go is a great gift to give to an expectant mom because believe me a good night’s sleep knowing that the baby is safe is the best gift you could give to a mom with a new baby.