It is officially summer vacation in the household. All our quizzes and exams are finally over. Although, we are practicing the Charlotte Mason method, hence our learning never really actually ends. Each day will still have study time, reading time, math games, etc. We actually finished all our deliverables weeks ahead of time. This meant that we can chill and relax while waiting for the moving up ceremony on June.
It has been years since we last went out of town since we've been confined inside the house since the pandemic began. This out of town has really made the family excited since we confirmed our reservation in the resort. We chose the beautiful Crystal Beach in Zambales. My husband wanted the sound of the waves crashing into the shore, I love the sunset by the beach and our daughter is very much excited about building sand castles.
Days before our actual trip, we ran into a few problems. You see, this is the first time our family will ever have a trip out of town with just the three of us. Usually we would join in on a barkada outing or we'd invite some of our friends to join us. But this time, we decided to try to have our first ever family of three out of town vacation. Originally, we planned on travelling by bus to the resort. But then due to some restrictions, we weren't able to book a ticket for the bus online. We almost had to cancel this trip. It's a good thing we didn't.
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We arrived at 12nn on a Wednesday where there's only a handful of guests. The first thing we did after a 4-hour commute from Manila to Zambales was take in all the beauty of the glistening sea under the hot sun and feel the wind touching our cheeks, trying to blow away Aya's crochet hat. If the sand wasn't scorching hot under the heat of the sun, I'd have run barefoot all the way to our hut.
Crystal Beach did not disappoint. We chose to have our vacation on weekdays. We feel we would enjoy the days of quiet away from the city without having to feel like we have to fight our way into the beach. We'd like to take in the beauty of the place while there aren't much people around. And that, we did! My daughter most especially.
She requested that I make her a Moana costume a little over a week before our trip. As soon as we got settled in our home for the next 3 days, she went ahead and tried on her newly finished Moana costume. There are lots of picture perfect spots for a photoshoot in the resort. As a matter of fact, there was a couple having their prenup shoot when we arrived. We had our fun taking photos under the pine trees, in the middle of the open sandy area, and in the beach itself.
The waves that Wednesday afternoon was quite a bit scary for the little one so we did not have a dip just yet. I figured we'll be staying there for a couple of days so she'll have lots of time warming up to the sea.
Crystal Beach resort has lots of activities one can do. We saw a few people practicing some surfing moves although the waves are not that strong to really be able to surf, beginners can try to learn in the not so angry waves. We chose to mostly just stay by the shore, watch our little girl have fun building sand castles.
It was also a perfect opportunity for our nature studies. I particularly love the sunset. In the afternoons, we would just sit by the sand. I lay a blanket for us to sit in while we wait for the sun to hide by the horizon. It has been a while since I last watched the sun say goodbye. This vacation gave me another way to let my kid experience the beauty of nature up close and personal. Listening to the soothing sound of the waves whilst sitting beside each other, watching the sun slowly set into the horizon, enjoying the show of colors while letting her imagination run wild with all the shapes and sizes of the clouds above us. It was the very meaning of relaxation.
At night, we just sat idly under the stars. Trying to count the twinkling lights while my kid either imagine shapes or give each stars their own names, ones she made up. Then once the bon fire started, we danced as the fire also starts swaying to its own rhythm. It really was a great idea to go on that trip on a weekday. We almost had the place completely to ourselves.
As a mom, I wanted to make sure I caught every moment on camera so that my daughter will see photos of our experience to make her remember this trip. And I did. But on most parts of the vacation, I chose to just be in the moment and enjoy Mother Nature's beauty.
I mentioned that this was the first time our family went on a trip all by ourselves. Here's a few things I'd like to share with parents who are planning on bringing their toddlers and young kids to out of town trips.
- Bring toys. Lots of toys. Not just sand toys, but also any toys that would encourage them to run around, jump up and down and get really physically active.
- If your kid is a bookworm, make sure to pack books in your bag. It was a good thing I brought extra books during this trip because our night time reading book was finished on the second night. It would have been an uneasy night if we didn't have backup books.
- There may be lots of waiting on trips like this so be sure to pack things that will keep the kids busy while they're sitting down. Books will do, but it wouldn't hurt to bring some drawing materials too.
- Spray on sunscreen is a must! Kids get too overexcited once they see the possibility of fun. When I was a kid, I dislike how sticky and icky the sunblock lotion felt on my skin. Spray ons are not only easier to apply, they don't have the sticky feel too.
- Be in the moment. Kids will forever remember how they felt while playing in the sand with their mom and dad. They will forget when or where they went but that feeling of happiness will remain with them forever. So be there with them. Take a photo or two, but make sure to enjoy the experience with them.
I can really say that the little one enjoyed our vacation because as of right now, she has plans on having swimming lessons and now has established that we will visit Palawan next. She's very much interested in finding the rare species of birds only found there, plus she really did enjoy our time at the beach.
Aside na napakaganda ng lugar may natutunan ako dito lalo na sa mga bata. Magdala pala talaga ng maraming toys para malibang sila.
Thanks for sharing miss @romeskie .
Yes! Kasi grabe ang daming hihintayin. E kesa naman papanoorin ng videos sa mobile phone, maglaro at magdrawing at magbasa na lang. These were useful pag tanghaling tapat and we would just leisurely play in front of our camping hut or habang naghihintay ng food. Napakaiksi pa naman ng patience ng little ones.
Ayyy totoo yan miss @romeskie.
This is totally me when I was a kiddo. hahaha.
!LUV
Beautiful place, ang tagal ko na di nakaka-pasyal sa Zambales. Looks like a nice beach to hang out for a few days.
!PIZZA
Bookworm ka rin pala. haha.
Yep, dami magagandang beaches na nadaanan namin on the way to the resort. Napakatagal lang ng biyahe but then nature studies na rin so okay lang.
Good bonding time for the family, mukha namang nag-enjoy kayo. Bookworms love the smell of books, ganun ako. :) Naki-cooperate din ang weather sa inyo. 😁
Haha. Oo. Nauubusan na kami ng space sa bookshelf para sa mga new books. Iba talaga ang amoy ng mga pahina ng papel. haha.
Actually, kabado ako the whole time kasi sa weather forecast, there's a 55% chance of rain. Then nung hapon, mejo malakas ang alon. Buti na lang, hindi tumuloy ang ulan.
So long as your daughter enjoys, then that's a good thing. Iba kasi pag "required" reading, iba rin kapag recreational reading. Pero pag bookworm naman, it translates so good na yan until she grows up. Huwag lang ma-trauma sa pagbabasa. Swerte rin talaga pag nag plano ka dito sa atin na may weather factor.
You guys are adorable, especially the kiddo. Hope you enjoyed the trip to the fullest. And it seemed like you had the entire beach all to yourselves. Nice.
While the trip is mostly to have fun, it's cool that you mentioned that it's still a learning experience. Btw, is this Aya's longest travel so far?
That Moana costume is legit. How much? lol. I have a few nieces who would love to try that on, too.
Iba talaga pag weekdays ang reservation. Swak sa mga introverts. haha.
Yes, it is Aya's longest commute so far. Sobrang tibay, di man lang umidlip sa biyahe. Nalilibang sa mga bundok at ricefields na nadaanan namin. Tamang review na rin ng land formations, she kept identifying whether what she sees are hills, mountains, plains, plateus. haha. Pati clouds, itinuro nya rin sa driver kung anong clouds yung mga yun. kulit. haha
I'm not sure if I'll be willing to part with it. Pero for sure, I'm going to have it rented out para sa mga photoshoots or parties. :)
See, meron talagang study moment haha. Cool~ Was the bus ride comfortable for her? Nag bonamine ba kayo? haha. Suki kami sa mga suka, pag may kasamang bata.
Weekdays, noted. Just kidding about the costume haha. And mukhang mahirap yun masterpiece, ilang weeks ba?
We ended up renting a car instead. Medyo disappointed ang little one dahil bet nya talaga sana mag bus.
It took me less than a week to finish the costume. Natagalan lang ako sa paggawa nung Hula skirt. I have so much respect now for the level of patience ng mga gumagawa ng hula skirt manually. Pero ang nagpatagal din is yung hand dyeing nung hula skirt.
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Such a peaceful atmosphere and a very beautiful scene. The composition is very harmonious and the colors fit very well together. I like your baby and lovely family. God bless you.