Walking on the Green Grass

My two kids are banned from the mall and all other crowded places lest they acquire another strain of virus and get sick again.  We’ve already started the year with one week of hospital confinement and consecutive bouts with flu, cough, and colds; I really wouldn’t want any of that again.

If I could create a bubble to protect my kids from every virus and bacteria out there, I would have done so already.  Sadly, that’s way beyond the powers of this mom.

I could just keep them cooped inside the house but that would just be too lonely.  So, what’s our solution?  Take them outdoors to walk on the green grass, to watch birds fly, to name shapes formed by clouds, to count airplanes that fly overhead, and to basically breathe air fresher than the one inside the house.

 photo atloyola2.jpg

Oh, ok…  So, it’s a MEMORIAL park… but it’s not crowded, the air is fresh, and there’s plenty of green grass to walk on ^_^

 photo atloyola.jpg

My two totally terrific tots!

We can buy our kids the most expensive toys and the latest gadgets but nothing beats the look on their faces when they discover how wonderfully God created nature!

Christmas Gift of Adventure: Day 2

An entire Saturday afternoon spent discovering some of nature’s wonders at the Manila Ocean Park was indeed very tiring.  We all had a grand time but at the end of the day, our bodies were all just craving for a comfy bed to sleep on. 

City Garden Suites
12.18.2010

Why did we choose to stay at City Garden Suites?  Aside from its proximity to Manila Ocean Park and Aliw Theater,  we had a voucher from Enjoy Philippines which gave us 40% off on the tariff rate of our one-bedroom suite. 

We were dead tired when we arrived at the hotel that all we wanted was to get to our room and prepare for bed.  Checking-in was a breeze as my hubby had already booked and paid for the room days in advance.  When we got to our room, the bathroom had not been cleaned well and the toiletries had not been replenished.  Housekeeping was quick to respond though to our complaint and toiletries were replenished and bathroom cleaned in a jiffy.  The beds were comfortable but we opted to create a makeshift cot on the floor for the toddlers so we could sleep peacefully knowing that there’s no danger of them falling off the bed.
Once the kids were asleep, we requested room service massage for two to soothe our aching muscles.  The massage was very relaxing and could have put me straight to sleep had not Jade and Jakei woken up halfway through it.  There goes my “me” time again. 
 



the bed was big and comfy

 





but the tots slept on the floor

 

  



breakfast at Cafe Miranda



 

 
Morning Stroll at Luneta Park
12.19.2010

Ok, so it’s officially named Rizal Park but it will always be the Luneta Park of our youth.  Bagumbayan, Luneta, Rizal…whatever it may be called, it still remains one of our country’s historical landmarks which we parents should show our little ones.

  

    

 

The Little Big Club Concert
12.19.2010
 
Angelina Ballerina was there. So were Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam, Thomas the Train and Pingu.  But, really, all we came for was THE purple dinosaur and his best friends.
BARNEY!  The toddlers absolutely love this purple dinosaur! So who was I to deprive my two adorable children of the chance to watch Barney live in concert.  Good thing my husband was all too willing to finance our most expensive day out to date!



  



Jade twirling like Angelina Ballerina while waiting to be allowed to go to our seats.
Checked out the souvenir items when she got tired twirling.



All eyes and ears on the stage as they watched their favorite characters on stage.
Intermission – Time for Papa and Mama to keep the toddlers entertained
After intermittent cries of “Where’s Barney? I want Barney.” during the first half of the show,
the toddlers finally see him and his friends on stage!


The concert has ended but the toddlers were still waiting for more.
Did we have fun?  Heck, yes!  And next Christmas we definitely will give the kids a gift of adventure again.  Perhaps, we might even be brave enough to venture that out-of-town weekender.

Are we going back there? 
  • City Garden Suites: No… unless we have another discount voucher.
  • Luneta Park: Yes, when time permits. 
  • Little Big Club Concert: Definitely yes!
What did we love most about the place? 
  • Little Big Club Concert: The tots loved Barney, of course!  Husband and I loved watching the tots sing and dance.
Our Toddler-friendliness Rating: 

  • City Garden Suites: 6
  • Luneta Park: 8 
  • Little Big Club Concert: 10

Christmas Gift of Adventure: Day 1

 

Last Christmas, my husband and I decided that instead of giving them toys we would give our two toddlers a gift of adventure.  We planned an activity-filled weekend away from home albeit just a few kilometers from home.  Our toddlers may be ready for that out-of-town weekender but hubby and i just aren’t confident enough that we’d be able to cope with all the fuss. So, we settled for an entire day at Manila Ocean Park, a night at City Garden Suites, a morning stroll at Luneta Parkand to cap it all off, an afternoon at the Aliw Theater for The Little Big Club Concert. 


Manila Ocean Park
12.18.2010

As what always happens when you have kids in tow, things do not go according to plan.  Thus, our Manila Ocean Park adventure started at lunch time and not at 9am as indicated in our itinerary.  Suffice it to say that the schedule I prepared days in advance was thrown straight into the trash bin. Regardless, we still had an awesome good time!

Jade & Jakei “impatiently” waiting at the ticket booth for Papa

It was already past 11am when we got there so we started off with lunch at Makansutra Asian Food Village.  We got 20% discount for getting the Manila Ocean Park Ultimate Experience package and a free Cheng Tng using the voucher from Enjoy Philippines.

hmm, what to eat?
…so many choices



no food goes to waste
when hungry stomachs await

 


Jade ate with gusto
all on her own

but Jakei had to stay in his stroller
coz there were no high chairs
 
With our tummies full, we set off to start our ocean adventure with the SEA LION SHOW.  We had a 30 minute wait which we spent watching the sea lions swim at the MARINE LIFE HABITAT.



at the marine life habitat
just noticed that the tots look so sad in this pic

still at the marine life habitat
watching the sea lions underwater

   

 



keeping the little ones entertained
while waiting for the show to start

 

the sea lions with their cool, cool, cool tricks

 

When we went back inside the building, there was still a long line at the Oceanarium as there were about two to three schools on field trips.  We decided to view the JELLIES exhibit  instead.  Jade was so amazed at the jellyfish she would probably have stayed there forever if she had a choice!

 

“Papa, guess how many jellies there are?”



Tots were too enthralled with the jellies to gamely pose for the camera
If Jade had such a wonderful time with the jellies, our walk through the OCEANARIUMwas the complete opposite.  She was terrified of being so close to the marine creatures that she refused to let go of dear Mama.  Jakei though had a great time.  He and Papa enjoyed looking through each and every aquarium. 
  
“there was a little turtle who lived in a pond
he swam at the bottom and he climbed on rock”



 
 
 
 




Jakei and Papa marvelling at the wonders of marine life

 







Jade furtively looking behind us to check on the fish.
She was terrified of the fish but was brave enough to go through the tunnel with us.

 



“If I lived under the sea, sea, sea… I think it would be neat as it could be, be, be…
I could visit all the fish anytime I wish… If I lived under the sea”
Thanks to Barney’s song, we were able to go through the tunnel without much fuss.





 We had early dinner at Pancake House but should have rushed through our meal coz when we went out to queue for the Musical Fountain Show, the place was already packed and we were asked to wait for the 730pm show.  We couldn’t stay that late as we were strict with the toddlers’ bedtime (even during holidays…yeah, we’re tyrannic parents. haha!), so we decided to just come back some other time to watch the show and headed for the hotel to get the tots cleaned up and ready for bed before 9pm.

The toddlers were still brimming with energy when we got to the hotel. Jade kept talking about “the fish, and the shark,  then the sea lion… remember, manila ocean park, mama?, remember.”  But my husband and I, our looks belying our age but our bodies definitely feeling it, were totally spent.  So, off to their bath the toddlers went then after what seemed like hours of “quiet” time slumbered peacefully into the night. 

Are we going back there?  Definitely yes, but not soon… probably when Jakei is of school age already.
 

What did we love most about the place?  the toddlers loved the jelllies most,  husband and i loved watching the looks of amazement on their faces

 

Our Toddler-friendliness Rating: 8 because…

  • the rest rooms were not spacious enough for diaper changes
  • strollers can be brought inside the oceanarium but only if you’re willing to lug it up and down flights of stairs
(Read the second day of our weekend adventure on my next post.  )