The title says for the kids but let me be specific, I actually mean MY KIDS!

Lately, family and friends have been asking us for tips on what gifts to give our kiddies this Christmas. I’m glad they asked! We’ve heard of gift-giving mishaps and kids not liking what they receive. To avoid that, better ask the person who knows these kids well, better than just predicting or assuming their likes. Heehee! Here goes the gifts for kids:

1. Toys that encourage the kids to be creative.
Think art supplies (crayons, watercolors, colored pencils, etc.), clay, DIY kits, etc. My kids love to doodle, color and paint, everyday without fail! I think we have more than enough artworks to open an exhibit.

2. Toys that make them think and learn.
BOOKS, Puzzles, building toys, wooden (alphabet,numbers or animals) blocks, Legos, etc.

3. Musical toys. My kids would pretend blowing the trumpet, as influenced by one of the songs from their fave show Veggie Tales. Last Christmas, they mostly got musical instruments but they don’t have xylophone and guitar and yes, trumpet!

4. Ride on toys – any kids would love this. Caity is asking for a scooter.

5. Toys they’ll surely love. Adie is a typical boy. He’s into cars, trains, anything that has wheels. Both kids like dog and they go to sleep with their stuffed dog toys. A few weeks back, Caity saw a pink poodle toy that she’s crazy about and a toy rabbit in a cage. She’d be the happiest girl if she’d get it on Christmas.


6. Useful stuff like clothing, shoes… hmmmm car, house, hehe
7. Passes for zoos, museums, kiddie shows, etc. I know one little girl who was given an annual family pass to the zoo by her grandparents. They got to see the animals often especially during summer. A very smart gift to give to a kid.
8. GIFT OF TIME. The best! It surpasses all the gifts mentioned above.

That’s it! I hope it helps you decide what gifts for kids you’d buy. Happy shopping!

We’ve been going places mostly the past weekends, and ignored some important things that we need to do, like shopping! Hahaha Well, it does sound interesting but actually we needed to replace Adie’s car seat as the boy is getting bigger, and another top priority on our shopping list is a stroller. We actually have 3 strollers crowding our small storage space, but out of these 3, none was suitable for that everyday trip to and from school – two were falling apart and one was too huge and heavy for me.

We were fortunate to have scored a discounted car seat (50%) on our first stop. What a steal! And I also found other treasures for the kids, shoes with big discounts! The stroller was a different story though.  It cost a little more than I expected we’ll spend for a stroller, but oh well, sometimes you have to pay more for comfort and quality.

Anyway, here are the cutesy pairs of shoes I bought for the kids:

A pair of dinosaur wellies (still a bit big), and Thomas the train shoes for Adie.

The wellies were about $5! Thomas the train were less $10.

A pink crocheted print tennis shoes for Caity.

A nice find coz I was really planning to buy her a new pair with velcro straps coz her Peppa Pig tennis shoes are difficult for her to tie on her own.

It took the whole day to shop for stuff, but at least we got all we wanted (and more).  Not bad at all considering that we have two active kids in tow. (:

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I’ve been feeling lazy about blogging since we got back from vacation. I am still relishing all the fun, interesting and beautiful memories and things I experienced and saw during our trip to Finland and Sweden. Aside from being busy washing load after load of bedding and clothes, I have been rearranging cupboards and shelves inspired by the simple, minimalist, bright and functional arts/design of these two countries. So far I am satisfied with the results, but I am in for a challenge how to get all of these done in a short time. One shelf takes a day coz of my other duties at home.

I find myself browsing on websites about Scandinavian designs lately. My interest have shifted from fashion to interiors hehe. But I also actually fell in love with Swedish street style. ahhhhh! And I still visit my favorite fashion blogs time to time just to see what’s the latest. One recent finds is that coogi clothing is slashing their prices big time! That’s an amazing sale happening right there, better load up your man’s wardrobe while its cheap.

Anyway, I found some cute clown alphabets sold at a toy store named Krabat in Stockholm.  I thought it would make a nice door sign in the kids’ bedroom doors spelling out their names.

for Caity…

There were sooooo many pretty things inside the store – doll houses, plush toys, children’s clothing, costume, cars, kids’ party stuff, wooden toys and a lot, lot more!  We were actually on our way back to the hotel coz Caity fell asleep on her dad’s shoulder while we were touring the Gamla Stan area when we passed by the store.  I just had to get inside when I saw their pretty window display. But we were in a rush, so I had little time to scan over their stuff.

I managed to take a quick shot of their display window before leaving… so cute!

boat mobile – I like!!!

These are the beauties (and more) that are haunting me…

We’ve been busy with our vacation these days and I’m glad the kids are enjoying their stay here, playing with their cousins and biking around. And since I collect ref magnets, you bet I will be shopping around for those during our trip to the center. Aside from taking photos, I am fond of shopping for souvenirs to remind me of the happy memories of our Nordic vacation.
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Summer is here, Spring is gone! I’m left with my Spring-inspired stuff to hold onto the season I so love. (:

Next Floral Brogues:

Floral HTC phone case:

Floral G-Cube mouse:

Did you get anything for Spring that’s screaming with flowers?

If you’re looking for a protective cover for your blackberry phones, Ipads or any mobile phones for that matter, you’ll end up wanting not just one but more because of the many uber cute choices for silicone cases!

When I was choosing for my HTC phone, I immediately choose the first one that I liked and stopped looking coz I might be overwhelmed with the many choices. M ordered my case online and we got it last week. My phone is now dressed in pink Sakura case which is appropriate for the Spring season. Too cute! My phone’s color is originally red, which is actually nice but it’s covered with the case now. hehe

And since I’m lovin’ animal prints lately, I also like this Zebra inspired case for Blackberry phone:

How about you? What design does your phone case have?

I am fond of browsing online stores for interesting products lately. Well, what do you think is interesting to majority of the female specie? You bet its clothes, shoes, bags and accessories. It is convenient for me than going to an actual store tagging two kids who might only get bored even before I can pick what I like.

So I’ve been shopping online and I’ve learned that there are promo codes one can use to get discount on purchases. The highest discount I’ve had so far using promo codes was $10. It might not be much, but it’s better than none at all!

When you shop online, try to search first for promo codes using the store’s name plus the words promo code, promotion code or coupon code. For example, if you’re buying flowers from ProFlowers (the store), search for Proflowers promotion code in your browser, and see the result. Savings! Nice eh? Be smart online shoppers, and follow this simple tip. (:

The hearts day have gone, much to most guys relief I bet. haha Anyway, its quite too late for the occasion but this would have been an appropriate gift for a girlfriend on Valentine’s:

I saw it while browsing on some Ipod accessories. It’s a glittery heart embedded ipod case that can lit up a dark room with its sparkling gems. hehe That is assuming she already owns an ipod, coz if not, you will be in big trouble!

Do you like it?  I think it’s too glaring. 

I was browsing shopping sites a lot today coz I was in search for some nice new bags. I was fortunate to find a “gold mine” of bags with hefty discounts! Yipeee! I can’t wait for my order to arrive.

Then I also peeked into some electronics sites to see how much that mobile fone I was curious about cost. I was surprised that the prices of mobile fones have become affordable over the time and there’s a plethora of models to choose from. Whew! It was really confusing. All I want from a phone to is to send SMS, make calls and compute (love the calculator!) hahaha see, my needs are very basic. But fones these days can do many, many things which is too overwhelming.

I couldn’t help but check out also the digital cameras and custom laptops they have, but since electronic stuff though isn’t as tempting as clothes, bags and shoes does to me. So I quickly left the site before I drown myself in confusion.

Now I’m tired from all the browsing/shopping I did even if it was online. I’m glad I didn’t have to use my feet.

The choice of English books in Prague’s bookstores are limited. They usually only have on the display the best sellers. National Bookstore has even more choices than they do. So when I want to check on books I’m interested, I oftentimes go online, visit Amazon books or Barnes and Nobles.  The problem with ordering online though is that you have to shell out extra money for the shipping cost.

Anyway, there’s a book that I found to be an appropriate gift for my vain girlfriends (HAHAHA!). It’s Crazy Busy Beautiful written by Carmindy, a makeup artist from the show “What Not to Wear” which I am fond of watching.  There she shares practical tips and secrets on how women can remain beautiful in spite of being busy with life which are all tried and tested.  Reading the reviews makes me want one for myself too!