Tips and Tricks, travel

Top Tips To ChooseThe Perfect Tent For Your Family Camping Trip

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tips + tricks, travel, best things to do this summer

Tents are a vital piece of camping equipment, and taking your time to choose the perfect one will ensure that your trip is a success. There are numerous different tents to choose, all of which have different benefits. You need to consider how many people will need to sleep in the tent, where you intend to camp and your budget.

Family camping trips have always been popular, and even today with the vast array of other options, some families prefer to simply go camping. There are many different pieces of camping equipment that you will need; however, the tent is the most vital. You need to take your time searching the different tents and choose wisely.

Ease of set up is an essential thing that you need to consider when searching for the perfect tent as camping is all about relaxing. You do not want to choose a tent that is difficult to put up as this can cause stress and tension for everyone. Read the reviews regarding the set up time, and decide if you can easily cope with the instructions.

Space inside the tent is vital as you do not want to feel cramped and uncomfortable during the night. All tents state how many people will comfortably fit in the tent in a sleeping position, and you need to take notice of this advice. You also need to consider extra room for bedding, supplies and backpacks; therefore, a larger tent is always a better option.

Headroom is another factor that you need to think about to ensure that you can easily move about without crouching for the whole time. Some tents are measured by the center height and others by peak height. If you want maximum headroom choose a tent with more center height, allowing everyone more space.

Ground sheets are often forgotten about when purchasing the tent; however, this is a vital piece of camping equipment. This sheet will help to make the ground more comfortable, and stop sticks and rocks penetrating the tent. A decent night’s sleep is vital for everyone, and having a quality groundsheet can make a massive difference.

Rain flies are a part of the tent that some manufacturers supply as standard, but you may find that cheaper tents do not have this part included. The rain fly is positioned above the roof of the tent and helps to stop any water entering the tent. There is nothing worse than waking up in the morning in a wet tent.

Price is a large factor that you need to consider, as the price of tents varies so much from manufacturer to manufacturer. Lower priced tents are perfect for once in a while camping trips, however if you intend to camp many times you may want to spend more on the tent. Top quality tents are far more durable and will last longer providing value for money.

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mum musings

Summer Fun At The SM Cartoon Fest

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best things to do this summer, summer activities for children, weekends, Where-to-Weekend, SM Malls, SM Fairview

SM has just officially started the summer season with a big bang through their SM Cartoon Fest at SM Fairview on 12 April, 2013! It was our first time to visit this branch and I am excited as well! To add in more fun and color to the frenzy they invited a bunch of our well-loved cartoon characters to join the party! Imagine Spongebob, the Justice League superheroes led by my personal favorite Batman, the Angry Birds, Barbie, Garfield, the Sesame Street gang led by Elmo, Cookie Monster and best friends Ernie and Bert, Hello Kitty, Dora the Explorer, The Lorax, Robby Rabbit, the adorable Minions from Despicable Me, Tweety Bird and Bugs Bunny, the rambunctious duo of Tom and Jerry, the lovely ladies from Monster High, and EB from the film Hop. I know! It feels like Christmas came eight months earlier! Even my little man had the time of his life waiting for his favorites to come up the stage and enjoyed marveling at those characters he was actually seeing for the first time. Even mums thoroughly enjoyed the experience!

best things to do this summer, summer activities for children, weekends, Where-to-Weekend, SM Malls, SM Fairview

After the short program, children are given the chance to meet and greet with each of their favorite cartoon characters and have their photos taken, too. For a minimum purchase of P300 worth of related products, which are on exhibit and are on sale at the time {you can choose from a multitude of products ~ from toys, to children’s clothes to lovely collectible items, to school supplies}, mall patrons and their children are given free entrance to the event and enjoy the afternoon with the adorable mascots! Jared had fun hopping from one booth to another having his photos taken with the cartoon characters! I cannot help myself, in fact, I had to pose with him when it is time to have his picture taken with Batman and his gang of super heroes!  😛 It was a good thing that a good friend of mine, Rence, volunteered to be our photographer of the day when our camera went dead. You can check out more of those photos on Jared’s blog.

best things to do this summer, summer activities for children, weekends, Where-to-Weekend, SM Malls, SM Fairview
the little man waiting for Spongebob and other characters to grace the stage, can you tell he’s excited? ^_^

Aside from the meet and greet, fun activities like face painting, coloring, scrapbook making as well as exciting raffles are also available for everyone to enjoy. And, of course, not to mention, the wide array of discounted toys and other character items available for mum and kids to purchase.

best things to do this summer, summer activities for children, weekends, Where-to-Weekend, SM Malls, SM Fairview
I know the P is for Princess DVD looks amiss, but Jared enjoyed it nevertheless, since there is an episode where his favorite Elmo made an appearance! 🙂

Our Saturday afternoon was well-spent and the travel all the way to SM Fairview is very worthwhile. Jared even had these lovely Garfield and Sesame Street stuff as giveaway! Special shout outs to Mykel and Jesse of SM for inviting and accommodating me and the little man.  :-))

The SM Cartoon Fest is something both the kids and the kids-at-heart will enjoy and it sure is one perfect way to have a very memorable summer. Do check out when they will hit the SM branch nearest to you by visiting and following the SM Supermalls Fan Page on Facebook.

To see more photos of the event, do check out the Mumwrites Facebook Page.

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events, Products and Brands

Where-To-Weekend: The Banana Boat Great Outdoor Fun

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best things to do this summer, summer, events, products

What: The Banana Great Outdoor Fun

When: 17 March, 2013, 9am-5pm

Where: Quezon City Memorial Circle

best things to do this summer, summer, events, products
numerous fun activities the families and barkadas can engage in at the Quezon Memorial Circle

Summer will prove to be the most fun and enjoyable time of the year. School is out and children are getting lots and lots of free time to play around under the sun all day. Families are also taking advantage of the good sunny weather to plan their next adventure or simple have a wonderful time with one another catching  up with the little ones who are busy at school or with dad who is often tied up at work. It does not matter whether they plan to whisk off to the nearest beach for a quick getaway, or hit the nearby park in the city, as long as there will be loads of fun and exciting activities for each family member to enjoy!

best things to do this summer, summer, events, products
Peter Amores {Futkal Philippines, Inc. Founder}, Cara Tecson {Banana Boat Marketing Manager}, Todd Montgomerie {Energizer Philippines, Inc. Managing Director}, Claire Guevarra {Banana Boat Senior Brand Manager} + Lady Reyes {Junior Trade Marketing Manager}

Summertime has finally arrived this year and Banana Boat welcomes it with a bang by turning the 26-hectare Quezon City Memorial Circle expanse into one big playground through their Banana Boat Great Outdoor Fun event. Mumwrites was lucky to be invited to the event presscon last 08 March, held in Ortigas City, and was able to get first dibs on what’s in store for every family that joins the event this coming Sunday!

“Banana Boat will welcome the much anticipated summer season on March 17 and we invite families and barkadas to spend that fun-filled day with us,” said Claire Guevarra, Banana Boat Senior Brand Manager. “We promise that there will be plenty of exciting activities and good times in store for the entire family,” she added.

This event offers a perfect opportunity for everyone to experience the fun and the feel of the great outdoors. Thee schedule of activities lined up for the day includes:

Morning Schedule

  • 9.00 ~ Event Opening
  • 9.30 ~ Opening Performance: Futkal Dance Trick
  • 9.45~ Futkal Awarding Segment
  • 10.00 ~ Banana Boat Skin and Sun Care Talk with Philippine Dermatological Society
  • 10.30 ~ Obstacle Game
  • 11.00 ~ Kite Flying {Kite Making Segment}
  • 11.30 ~ Magic Show/Raffle
  • Lunch

Afternoon Schedule

  • 2.30 ~ Bubble Show/Raffle
  • 3.00 ~ Obstacle Game
  • 3.30 ~ Futkal Dance Trick
  • 4.30 ~ Relay Game/Raffle
  • 5.00 ~ Closing

The Php250 activity stub includes free entrance to the Circle of Fun, where families and friend can try out and enjoy numerous rides, like the carousel, bump cars and Pedal and Paddle, a kite-making kit, and access to lots of fun and recreation hub within the vast Quezon Memorial Circle. It even entitles you to join a friendly game of Futkal or Futbol sa Kalye, have your group pictures taken over at the free photo booth {with a bonus Banana Boat sunscreen lotion for every picture taken}, and get Banana Boat products and Banana Boat premium items.

best things to do this summer, summer, events, products

Of course, basking in all these activities under the sun can be harmful to our skin, and who is better to teach us how to properly care for the skin, not only for summer, but whole year round, than Banana Boat, with their core products Banana Boat Ultra Protect SPF-50 and Banana Boat Ultra Protect SPF-80,  and they have enlisted a skin expert to share tips and ways on how we can protect our skin from harmful rays.

Banana Boat Lotions make use of the three-way approach against sunburn through the use of its advanced UVB protection, as well as long-term skin damage with its improved UVA protection which lasts longer than ordinary solutions. They also have a specified product for the kiddos, Banana Boat Kids SPF-50 {with gentle and mild, tear-free protection}, so you do not have to worry while you have fun under the sun all day, as Banana Boat got you covered!

I am looking forward to this Sunday’s event and I really hope the little man will be well by the time so we can attend. Mark your calendars and be sure to join in on all the summer fun at Banana Boat Great Outdoor fun this coming Sunday!

To register and to learn more about Sunday’s event, please visit the Banana Boat Website or like the Banana Boat Philippines Facebook Fanpage.

Banana Boat Sunscreen products are available at all Watson’s, health and beauty supermarkets, and drugstores nationwide.

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