Sign Up Your Kids to FitKids Dance and Yoga

FitKids believes in empowering our children to start living healthy lives as young as possible. There is no better way to introduce them to a healthy lifestyle than now, while they are still young and have not yet developed unhealthy habits.

Check out these dance and yoga classes coming up at Camp Start Mandaluyong and Playworks SM Aura this August and September. When you sign up your kids, you get special deals and treats from their partner brands like Pure Nectar by Fruit Magic, Onelife Studio and DelightPH. See details below.

1. Dance Classes at Camp Start:

- When: August 12, 19, 26, and September 2, 2017 (4 sessions, every Saturdays) 

- Time: 10:00 am to 11:00 am 

- Venue: Camp Start- Sikap Street, 614 Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong 

- For ages 2 to 7 

- Fee: P1,500.00 per child 

- Contact: 0917-5138377, Email: fitkidsph@gmail.com 

- In Partnership With: Pure Nectar (by Fruit Magic)

Treat: When you sign up, just mention my name and you get P200 worth of Pure Nectar Fruit Magic gift certificates. 

2. Yoga Classes at Playworks SM Aura

- When: September 16, 23, 30, October 7, 14, 21, November 4, 11, 2017 (8 sessions every Saturdays) - Time:1:00 pm to 2:00 pm 

- Venue: Playworks SM Aura Campus- 6/F SM Aura Tower 

- For ages 1.5 to 7 

- Fee: P5,000.00 per child 

- Contact: 0917-5138377, Email: fitkidsph@gmail.com 

- In Partnership With: Pure Nectar (by Fruit Magic), OneLife Studio, DelightPH

Treat: When you sign up, just mention my name and you get
- Php200 worth of Pure Nectar Fruit Magic gift certificates.  

- A free assessment at OneLife Studio and a 10% off on published rates (except for First Timer promos, Easypay packages, and cannot be used in conjunction with other promos) 

- 10% discount on any regular-sized bottle from DelightPH Homemade Dips (Facebook: /delightph, Instagram: @delightph) 

- First 5 enrolled Subscribers will get 5% off from total fee of yoga class (P4,750 instead of P5,000)

So fun! And hope my kids and I get to meet you in class!

Dream Big and Animate Your Imagination at Disney Junior

What if you could tell your child she can watch her own original story on TV? Wouldn’t that be the stuff childhood dreams are made of? 

Imagine your budding writer being able to say, “I wrote that cartoon!” It’s the sort of confidence building exercise that could possible pave the way to a lifetime of dreaming big and doing it. Seriously. 

Case in point: Disney Junior’s Animate Your Imagination Contest! 

Animate Your Imagination is open to all kids, age 2 to 7 years old. Disney will select 3 of the most creative and magical stories and will have their artists bring them to life as animations, to be shown on Disney Junior! 

I got Berry to sit down and start thinking of a story, and knowing her, of course it’s centered around princesses. We’ve decided to tell her story via a drawing, but you may opt to have your kid narrate it via video too! 

Just make sure to choose one of three themes - Pirate, Princess or Space, and the story can get as fantastical as it can get.

Can you guess what Berry’s story is all about? Maybe we’ll get to watch it on Disney Junior, alongside your kid’s story too! Make sure to submit by June 12, 2016!

To join Animate Your Imagination, simply register online here: disneyjunior.asia/animateyourimagination and read the full mechanics here: disneyjunior.disney.ph/animate-your-imagination-faq

Do Your Kids Speak Filipino?

I didn't realize how big of issue this has become now among my mommy friends. You should hear the tinge of panic and regret in their voice when we talk about Filipino homework and tests.

I should have seen it coming 5 years ago.

"Mas magaling pa mag-English mga bata dito kay Berry!" my Mom jokingly told me then, when I brought Berry to Manila for her very first vacation, after spending all 2 years of her life abroad. 

"Syempre. Kinakausap ko din sya in Tagalog, Mom." I explained a bit incredulously.

While Berry holds dual citizenship, Dada and I were born and raised in the Philippines, and it just made sense to me to have her learn the language. We were based abroad at the time, and knew we wanted to go back home and raise her here, so I didn't want her to have a hard time in school once she started. I would talk to her both in English and Filipino. And would encourage my husband to speak to her in Hokkien. (He doesn't, but that's another story. Haha.)

As it turned out, it seemed that in the short time that we were living overseas, kids back home in Manila had forgotten how to speak the language. To a point that my friend Jen Tan had to tell me,  "Tin, talk to your kids in Filipino, they need to learn it so you won't have a hard time tutoring them at home!" 

It's gotten quite sad really, when Filipino kids don't even know how to speak Filipino. It's not funny and it's not cute. And no, it's not a sign of progress. Like talking in Filipino makes one uneducated,  baduy or masa. 

Wittingly or unwittingly, many in our generation, especially parents of young kids, have gotten lazy with the language. Most of us don't speak Filipino purely anymore. More often than not, Taglish is the norm. I'm guilty of that too, and sometimes, my kids still ask me, "What did you say, Mom?" when they hear me say a Tagalog word they have never heard of before. 

Thankfully, my mommy friends at BetterMe.ph, who find themselves in a bind, having a hard time tutoring their kids in Tagalog in school, have come up with three easy to do tips for getting our kids to speak more Filipino. Watch it HERE!

So here's where Batibot comes into the picture. Yes, as in the Batibot many of us grew up watching.

They have come up with apps that encourages learning in Filipino. Our kids can watch shows, learn how to write the alphabet, play games and such. Just simple but educational lessons that they need, as in right now.

Check out and download the Batibot TV app, HERE:

Download the Batibot Games app, HERE:

It's a quick an easy start. And hopefully, the road to getting our kids back on the Filipino track!

For more on Batibot, visit www.batibot.tv

Berry Make Burgers at McDonald's Kidzania

Technically, Berry is a McDo veteran, with a Kiddie Crew stint under her belt.

But there's nothing like re-learning how to make a McDonald's cheeseburger inside Kidzania, only the coolest place for Berry and her friends these days.

Pay 15 Kidzos to learn how to make a McDonald's cheeseburger, but the kids get to bring their burger home, or eat it right in Kidzania

McDonald's in Kidzania may look like a typical McDonald’s counter, small by regular standards even, but right by the side is a kid-sized kitchen where kids 4 to 14 years old get to learn how to assemble their own McDonald’s Cheeseburger.

McDonald’s President and CEO Kenneth Yang, Alonzo Muhlach, Play Innovations Industry Partner Director Cecille Mariño, and Play Innovations President and CEO Maricel Pangilinan-Arenas formally open McDonald’s Burger Shop with a ribbon-cutting ceremony

All the kids who enter the McDonald's Burger Shop are taught the same procedure that real crew members use in preparing their iconic Cheeseburger every day in over 460 McDonald’s restaurants nationwide.

Berry and friends, putting five dots of mustard on one face of the burger bun

The "training" begins with the burger shop staff requiring the kids to put on a hairnet and an apron, and then briefing them on what they will learn inside.

Before they handle food, they are asked to wash their hands, a lesson in cleanliness and hygiene!

Then the beef of the activity begins - assembling the pure beef patty, a slice of American cheese, tangy pickles, minced onions, 5 dots each of ketchup and mustard, between two toasted buns - kids will find it a lot of fun!

“Making a McDonald’s Cheeseburger is an exciting activity in itself, but the real treat for kids and their parents is the experience and values learned while doing the activity. Together with KidZania, our hope is for kids to learn and appreciate the importance of hard work and responsibility, at the same time building their social skills and self-confidence,” said McDonald’s Philippines President and CEO Kenneth S. Yang.

“KidZania Manila is a place where kids can do big things and let their creativity run free,” said Maricel Pangilinan Arenas, State Governor for KidZania Philippines. “Here, they get to experience how a community operates, discover different careers, and learn while having fun by working closely with real-world brands that they know and love, like McDonald’s.” 

I might as well let you know too that there's a real McDonald's restaurant right at Park Triangle, on the ground floor close to the Kidzania entrance, and right across the LEGO store. Just in case you're jonesing for a full on meal after following the kids as they navigate the fun maze that is Kidzania.

KidZania Manila is located at Park Triangle, Bonifacio Global City. Open from 9AM-4PM on Mondays to Thursdays, and 9AM-2PM and 3PM-8PM on Fridays to Sundays. For more information, visit http://manila.kidzania.com. 

While at Kidzania, drop by McDonald’s Burger Shop and share your photos at McDonald’s official Facebook page, https://facebook.com/mcdo.ph. KidZanians may also tag @McDo_PH on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #McDoatKidZania. 

McDonald’s takes the fun outside their shops too, providing an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of kids in need through the Ronald McDonald House Charities or RMHC. For every purchase of a McDonald’s Happy Meal, 50 centavos is donated to RMHC in support of its flagship programs, Ronald McDonald Read To Learn and Ronald McDonald Bahay Bulilit. 

KidZania in Manila!

"Oh wow, this is so fun Berry! We didn't have this growing up!", I excitedly told Berry as we entered KidZania, an 8,000 square meter play city for kids in Bonifacio Global City set to open on August 7, 2015 - where they get to choose from 100 role play activities:  from firefighter, pilot, courier, to cashier, doctor, even recording artist, and live out their dream career.

I spotted an LBC, National Bookstore, Oishi store and Healthy Options, all built to scale for kids, and it was just so cute! How come we nobody thought of doing this when I was a kid?

It really looked like a shrink gun semi-shrunked a city, complete with paved streets and a transport system. The stores, offices and schools are made small enough to make the kids feel like grown-ups in the real world. 

The fun began at the Cebu Pacific ticket counter. Online ticketing goes live by August 3, 2015 at manila.kidzania.com. But tickets will also be available for purchase here at the KidZania Manila ticket counter starting August 7, 2015.

We were required to wear an RFID (radio frequency identification) security bracelet. 

It is their policy for each child to be matched with a corresponding adult who will also wear an RFID security bracelet. No child is allowed to leave the facility without being accompanied or picked-up by the registered adult.

As an extra precaution, professional security and other measures such as CCTV monitoring cameras, paging system, emergency facility features, and a first aid team are on standby to ensure that each child remains safe while inside KidZania Manila.

KidZania partnered with over 40 real world companies, all providing children with reality-based activities and skills that they can use in real life.

When kids work, they earn wages in KidZania's currency called "KidZos". The more they work, the more they earn. Of course, they can choose to save or spend what they earn.

They can encash checks, open bank accounts, deposit money and withdraw at BPI.

They can take care of the babies in the nursery at St. Luke's Medical Center Kidzania.

Shera Tiu shares the cash registers at Healthy Options prints out real receipts. I love!

There was a Shell gas station there, but they were closed already, 30 minutes prior to the 4 pm closing time. In real life, if I was the gas station owner, and found out that they closed ahead of schedule, these people are going to get fired.

There's a beauty salon. For when the kids get stressed from too much work I guess. Oh wait, they're supposed to work here too pala.

As in real life, there's a tax collection center too. Because kids better know early on that this is one thing in life that is certain.

Sorry if that sounded like a downer. Hahaha.

Back to the good news! KidZania Manila will be on soft opening starting August 7, 2015 with limited slots available, just to make sure kids don't have to wait long for their "work shift".

It will be open 7 days a week, with one shift Mondays through Thursdays, from 9AM to 4PM, and two shifts Fridays to Sundays and national holidays, from 9AM to 2 PM for the first shift and 3PM to 8PM for the second shift.

Ticket pricing is set to increase after the soft opening period:

Other than the medyo mahal price, this is fun stuff. Imagine being able to get to experience different jobs early on so you can really zoom in on what you like and are good at?

I appreciate how kids now can get a feel of what it is like to be an adult, with the chance to figure out what they really want to do when they grow up through play.

Because role-play at KidZania is not only fun, authentic and legit with all these real companies on board, it's a powerful developmental experience in itself.

I can't wait for Xavi to turn 4, so he can participate in the activities. I was telling Dada we might just throw a KidZania party for him there to celebrate!

About KidZania

KidZania, locally franchised by Play Innovations, Inc., a subsidiary of ABS-CBN Corporation, is an interactive kids’ city combining inspiration, fun, and learning through realistic role play for children 4 to 14. Kids can independently explore a kid-sized city with over 100 exciting roles. Each experience is designed to empower kids, giving them the confidence to be their best selves, and inspiration to be great global citizens. 

One of the world’s most inventive, most awarded, and fastest-growing kid’s educational entertainment concepts, KidZania has 20 locations in 17 countries, including the Philippines. 

KidZania, Inc., headquartered in Mexico, was founded in 1997, opened its first park in 1999, and is privately held. 

For more information about KidZania Manila, visit manila.kidzania.com or follow @KidZaniaManila on Twitter and Instagram.

A Weekend or Weeks on End at Ascott Makati: Part 2

"I miss Ascott already, Mom..." Berry said longingly, only a few days after our weekend staycation.

"But we were just there...", I replied with a bit of disbelief.

"I know, but it's so fun!", Berry insisted. Eventually, after much discussion, I found myself promising that I will do my best to take them on a staycation again, and hopefully soon.

I totally get it though. The kids really had no time to get bored while we were there. For one, they had this outdoor play area to themselves.

They could have stayed at the pool for hours, if only we let them.

There's a jacuzzi too.

Indoors, there are Cubbies Activities to keep them busy. The weekend we were there, they had a Pizza Making Class scheduled.

We didn't get to join that, but the kids were thrilled to have crayons, a coloring book and a puzzle to keep them entertained in our room.

Bigger kids can find their way to the game room, right above the lobby. Apart from the pool table, they have board games to keep them occupied.

The adults will mostly gravitate to the Fitness Center, I bet. They offer massages.

There's an outdoor tennis court.

A dance studio.

And a fully-equipped gym.

Which is a perfect complement to all the eating a guest at the Ascott will end up doing. 

Milk and cookies were thoughtfully sent up to our room the evening of our stay. The kids loved this.

The next morning, a breakfast buffet awaited us at Cafe on the 6th, where the kids had a blast trying to decide on what to have for breakfast. There was an array of bread, cheese, oatmeal and cereal, milk, juice, congee and dimsum, omelette, salad, fruits, pancakes, rice, tapa, bacon, the works. Of course, I went for the congee, dimsum, tapa and rice!

For lunch, we had chicken & beans salad, beef salpicado, baked spring chicken and kung pao chicken.

The night before, we had a feast of pizza, pasta, a burger and chili dog sliders.

Of course, a huge come on of Ascott Makati, is its proximity to shopping and being in the heart of the Makati Central Business District. 

Being right smack in Glorietta, one need not go far to procure supplies or do groceries, watch a movie, or dine at the many restaurants in the area. It's also just a couple of blocks away from Ayala Avenue and Legaspi Village, and a quick ride to the offices in Salcedo Village or Bonifacio Global City. 

Come to think of it, Berry is on to something. Just the fact that I don't have to worry about housekeeping alone, I wouldn't mind living in a serviced apartment permanently. Heehee.

- From now until July 31, 2015, guests can enjoy a special rate of Php 5,750 nett for a studio deluxe and Php 7,500 nett for a one-bedroom classic, inclusive of breakfast for 2 pax and internet access. Preferential rates and perks are also offered to long-staying guests. 

- Online members, make sure to ask about the Mid-Year Promotion exclusive to you until August 31, 2015. Online members who book and stay during this period can enjoy an exclusive 30% off on prevailing Best Flexible Rates while non-members get 20% off on prevailing Best Flexible Rates.

Poolside Playtime with OREO

If eating vegetables were as fun as eating Oreos, parents wouldn't have a problem with picky eaters. The kids put eating Oreos in the same league as playing with toys. Twist it, lick it, dunk it kinda fun.

Add to the fun is the Oreo Strawberry flavor, a Princess flavor if ever there was one. 

Ok, I totally made that up. Seriously though, Berry loves it. She loves the fact that it's pink. And it's strawberry flavored. Your little girls will take a shine to this flavor, if they don't already.

Oreos though, whatever flavor, are such certified hits that when Berry invited some of her friends for merienda and some poolside fun...

We made sure to pack some Oreos in the goody bags we prepared for the kids.

Berry and Xavi even enjoyed putting the goody bags together themselves. Fun for them, less work for me. Win-Win.

Of course, when her friends saw their goodie bags, they were thrilled. A tub of Play-Doh, a Ring Pop and Oreos to bring home, simple things can truly bring so much joy!

How about you? How do you play with Oreo?

For more on how to Play with Oreo, follow @OreoPH on Twitter and Instagram and Like Oreo on Facebook.