At Home With MrsC

Raising a family, making a home.

House Cuyugan

Moving Up Day and Little MrC’s DIY Munchkin Costume

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My little boy has just concluded his last few days of Senior Prep. Just like last year, our whole family came to his moving up day. He is, after all, the one and only kid in our home, and so everyone gets excited whenever he has activities in school. The Senior Prep Moving Up Day theme this year was “Kids Premier”, and the children performed song and dance numbers from popular movie musicals.

Our class got Wizard of Oz as a them, and the boys and girls were all supposed to dress like Munchkins. One girl was also chosen to be Dorothy, and three other boys were the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Lion. I was actually happy that the little boy’s costume was simple enough to DIY. Some of the other parents from other classes had to have costumes made, like those with The King and I and Cats as their assigned movies.

Here’s our DIY Munchkin costume. My mom and I worked on it together. What do you guys think?

This was the peg that we were given, plus we were told to add big buttons.
Photo source: Family-Friendly Halloween Movie Countdown
Ta-da!
Ta-da! What do you think?
Photo originally posted on Instagram

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Sun Protection: Beach Essentials for Parents and Kids

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One of the best things about living in the Philippines is having beach weather almost every day of the year. I love the beach, and if I could only afford to go on an ocean getaway monthly, I totally would. Maybe then I’d have an amazing tan instead of my pasty Twilight-white skin. Either that or I’d be permanently lobster/lechon colored, like I usually am after a beach trip.

Did somebody say sunburn?
Did somebody say sunburn?

Yes, I burn easily, and so sun protection is a really big deal for me. Luckily, my boys brown nicely and don’t get sunburned as easily as I do. Still, I make sure to take three very important things with me on every beach trip.

1. Sunscreen

Exposure to the sun results in skin damage, and may lead to even bigger, badder things like skin cancer, premature aging and wrinkles. So remember to protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun, especially if you like to tan like me.

I love using Nivea and Beach Hut because both are available in spray form, super easy to use and re-apply! I also pack an extra bottle of sunblock for kids for my face and for my little boy who has sensitive skin. Mustela is my brand of choice for kids’ sunscreen. 

Mustela Sunblock
THE BEST sunscreen for sensitive skin. Promise!

Here’s a tip: Go for a high SPF and re-apply often. To tell you the truth, I don’t know how to compute for SPF effectiveness, and how long before you should put a new layer of protection. I just make it a point to put some on before going out into the sun, putting some again after swimming and after taking a break to eat or shop. I also usually apply a layer of sunscreen before I put tanning oil. I don’t really know if it makes a difference, but I hope it does. 

If you don’t believe me on the sunscreen thing, listen to this guy.


2. After Sun Gel or Lotion

Nothing feels as good on your skin as a cooling gel or soothing lotion after a day out in the sun. Since I have extreme sunburn capabilities, I like to use Ocean Potion’s instant burn relief with Lidocaine. This saves me each and every time. I just wish it smelled better.

3. Hats and Sunglasses

A hat is something I know I should always have, but for some reason I keep forgetting to bring one. The boys, on the other hand, always make sure to have hats with them no matter where we’re going.

MrsPCuyugan Boracay
Hats and shades are on our list of beach essentials.

MrC and I both had prescription sunglasses made, and we always keep them in our bags. I never used to wear shades because I’d get headaches and bump into things, so God knows how thankful I am to finally have graded, tinted lenses. Pretty soon we’re gonna have to have a pair made for the kiddo, too.

Here I am with my Firmoo sunglasses in Boracay during our anniversary trip.
Here I am with my Firmoo sunglasses in Boracay during our anniversary trip.

At the beach, I always make sure to have a water-resistant tote bag, an extra pair of flip-flops, a microfiber towel and a bottle of drinking water with me. I also pack mosquito patches, insect repellent, calamine lotion, Betadine, band aids, paracetamol and antihistamines.

It’s always best to be prepared, especially when you travel with kids! Don’t forget to leave room for books and a few magazines for those quiet moments, and of course a few toys for the little ones.

Do you go to the beach often? Which sun protection products do yo and your kids use?What are your beach must-haves? Let me know in the comments!

 

Thankful Thursday: A Lesson In Faith

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In yesterday’s Wordless Wednesday post, I shared my One Word for 2013 – FAITH. I think that the lessons I learned in the past year really add up to this one word, and so this is something I will hang on to this year. In 2012, my faith in many things was put to the test in a really big way. And as with everything in life, all of that happened for a reason. It helped prepare me for 2013. Judging by the first week, this is going to be a rather challenging twelve months. I am happy that I have these lessons in faith that I learned, which I can look back on whenever things get hard.

For January’s Thankful Thursday, I’d like to focus on Faith in Marriage. For me now, faith in your spouse means trusting that they love you completely, and only have your best interests at heart, no matter how they show it.

My husbandry and I celebrated our first year of marriage last September, and the road to our first anniversary was unorthodox to say the least. There were many lessons learned about each other, about marriage, about life. Trust was broken and rebuilt countless times, patience was tested and loyalty questioned. But in the end, we were happy to share with the world that we made it through year one together, still holding hands, and with a lot more love and understanding than we had on our wedding day. We learned to accept the fact that we could and would hurt each other with our words and actions. We became more aware of the other person, and more considerate of the mistakes.

The understanding we built in 2012 was, apparently, really important for this year. And it has already been tested, believe it or not, within the first week. But this challenge is something we will overcome. This I know because I have faith that my husband will do what is best for us.

lifelessons-1
Mr C’s sand doodle, Boracay 09.2012

Faith in marriage is one of the most important things you can have. It assures you that you will remain strong no matter what. It helps you see the other side of things, and be open minded enough to accept that your side may not always be the right one. It means wanting to get past the bad stuff to be able to enjoy the good stuff. It means never giving up, and believing in the other person. Faith means trusting that everything will be OK in the end, even though you are unsure about how you will make it to the end.

It is faith that will get us through January’s challenge, no matter how hard it hits us, and for that, I am thankful

What does faith mean to you in your marriage/relationship? Do share. I bet your story is an inspiring one, and I really could use a dose of inspiration today!

Much love and happiness,

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On Sensitive Conversations with Kids

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My son really is getting bigger. He’s slowly but surely becoming exposed to life’s realities, both good and bad. Today, we had a conversation about one of them. Unfortunately, it was about one of the bad things. It went something like this:

Scenario: Tristan was singing in the shower. I have had to endure over a week of this kid singing One Direction’s What Makes You Beautiful NONSTOP!

Me: Shhhhh. Can’t you sing another song?
T: But I like One Direction.
Me: Ya, but you keep singing the same song over and over again.
T: You know what Mommy? *Classmate* doesn’t like One Direction either.
Me: Why not babe?
T: He said it’s gay.
Me: (Looooong moment of silence) Do you know what gay means baby?
T: Nope.
Me: It’s not a very good word if you use it in a bad way. It’s like calling someone stupid. Please don’t use that word if you don’t understand it OK?
T: OK Mommy.

I am so not prepared for this. I honestly don’t know how to explain this to my son without going overboard. At best, all I can think to do now is to just make him not use that word in that context. Why I can’t help but wonder is how did his classmate even learn to use that word to describe that group. These kids are six years old. I’m pretty sure opinions like that do not come directly from them. It makes me sad knowing that my little boy is starting to hear discriminating comments like that, and from another kid who probably doesn’t know what it means.

I don’t intend to bring up the topic again unless he asks. If and when that happens, what should I say? Help?! I have zero experience when it comes to dealing with kids and sensitive conversations.

PS Thought I’d share this video so you can join me in my misery. I guess it’s better than having my kid sing Justin Bieber all day long.

Much love and happiness,

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