Anyway, my family and I are going to the beach in a few days. I hope it will be relaxing enough that we can forget the bad things that happened lately and look forward to creating happy memories again. I’m not thinking of resting and sleeping since we have a toddler and a high-maintenance, drama queen little girl but at least, I won’t be working and even if they all throw a tantrum, I have the view of the beach to calm me. Here’s to hoping!

Besides the wonderful weather, Mesa is known for the natural attractions in the canyons of this city which is located in a suburb of Phoenix. Tours of the desert on horseback or by hummer are always favorites, and so are hot air balloon rides. The mountains provide a beautiful back drop for biking and hiking or river rafting. In addition to the outdoor activities, there is lots to do at night. Choose from fine dining, dinner theatre, and several sports bars for your evening entertainment.

Rental properties in the Mesa area are quite reasonable right now. The housing crisis means that are a number of vacant properties that are available to rent for a week or several months, depending on how long you are looking to stay. Mesa property management companies can help you scout out the best locations and find the best deals.One of the best times to visit Mesa is during the early spring. This is when baseball teams from all over the country come to the Phoenix area to prepare for the upcoming season. There are now 15 teams that are located in the area and their ballparks are all within about a 60 minute drive of each other. The World Champion San Francisco Giants are one of the teams that train nearby in Scottsdale. This year for the first time, the Diamondbacks and Rockies will also be training in the Phoenix area opening a new stadium in Talking Stick, east of Phoenix.

Christmas is an especially distracting time of year. There are not only presents to buy, but wrapping paper, tape, scissors, and ribbons to consider. Sometimes you’ve got some leftover wrapping paper and such from the year before, but more often than not, it just feels nice to package everything in something fresh. Piling all these things into the rear seat of your car, the piles of bags and unwieldy items grows and grows. Sometimes, rounding a corner with all of those slippery plastic bags rubbing against each other, the contents can shift. This can and does lead to distracted driving, which can lead to a fender bender or worse, causing harm to yourself or others. That’s not the way to bring in the holidays, so there are a few ideas to help tamp down this scenario before it happens.

- Load your bags into the trunk of your vehicle. This way, even if they slide, you won’t notice that it’s happened.

- Don’t save all your shopping to do at once. Spread it out over multiple days. This stops the piles from growing into unmanageable messes.

- By all means, use the cell phone when you’re out and about, to arrange the next event or activity with your friends. (But make sure to hang up before you get behind the wheel and start the automobile.)

Following these simple steps will help to keep you on track. After all, when it’s time to enjoy those few hours of holiday fun and relaxation, an accident won’t help!

Sometimes, you just want a break. Being a parent can be hard work. Though a vacation usually sounds great, it can be a lot harder to actually do. Coming up with the money, getting the time off work, and doing all the planning for a trip can be frustrating. So, instead, most of us tend to take mini vacations. Whether this is zoning out in front of the television or a video game, or playing some online casino games, taking mini vacations can be a great outlet, and they don’t have to cost much (or anything at all!).

There are many options for mini vacations. Sometimes you just want to stay in and veg out. Another option would be to spend a night in a hotel close by. Though this still costs money, it is getting you out of the house and away from your responsibilities. Luckily, this also doesn’t involve much planning. You can do a mini vacation like this at the spur of the moment. In fact, you may be able to get discounts on a good hotel room this way. Just call around and see what you can get! If you have kids, you will need to decide if this is a family night out or just for the adults. If you decide that it is just for the adults, you will want to arrange for someone to watch the kids for the night.

No matter what you plan for your mini vacation, remember that it is a time to relax and have some fun. Throw your worries out the window, and don’t stress over things. This is a time to get away from it all. Whether it is just for a few hours, or for a day or two, let yourself enjoy the time “away from it all.”

I know it makes sense but every time I see a new great travel deal, I just can’t help but feel sad and envious. But now that I’ve said that, I don’t feel bad anymore. After all, wasting money is not in my vocabulary. We can have all the time in the world to book next year. And trust me, I WILL book with a vengeance!

We swam non-stop this time because the weather was perfect and the water was warm. The beach was good too. Although we didn’t swim, just being near the ocean was enough to keep the troubles away. There were lots of people swimming on the beach which made me glad that the house we rented had its own pool.

The most important thing from our vacation was that Sandy had the time of her life swimming with her cousin and her parents. It’s so rare that we spend time together without the distraction of iPods, TVs and PSPs. She also had so much fun with her attempts to build a sand castle. In fact, she kept asking me to go to the beach when there’s a very nice pool inside the house already.

The kids loving the pool.

The three of us enjoying the beach.

More photos by the beach

We really had a blast! I hope we could go back there again soon. Food is very important whenever we travel and thanks to MIL, she bought enough groceries to feed an army. The place was complete with high-end electric grills and kitchen appliances so the home-cooked meals were all good.

Contact number: Brian  09158472264

More photos of his house here and here.

I think they were trying to replicate Sonya’s bed and breakfast with their gardens, wedding amenities, etc. Although the services are almost the same, Balay Indang is bigger and have more rooms, around 3-4 rooms per house. One thing they sure have in common are the bugs because of the plants, flowers surrounding the place.

Check out our food here and some of our photos below.

Before we eat lunch, we decided to walk around the place and have some photos taken on the day beds and hammocks.

Swimming after lunch. They were fully booked so I asked Sandy if she wanted to swim, knowing we might not have a chance to have the pool to ourselves later.

The resting area near the pool. Love this nook.

Took a nap after swimming. It was a very relaxing afternoon for me and I was so thankful we managed to snag a room even if it’s the peak season and we booked late.

When Sandy and I woke up, we explored some more. Found a billiards table and saw how huge the place really was.

More resting areas.

This looked like a tree house to me.

Drawing in one of the tables in the huge garden. The pool was filled this time so I was right to take an early swim before it gets too crowded.

Sandy loved the place! She kept saying how nice Tagaytay was and how fun that there were so many places to explore. As you already know, she’s our little critic when it comes to hotel accommodations. And although Balay Indang is far from a hotel, I have no doubt she’d love to go back with her baby sister next time.

We stayed at Kowloon Hotel – very near Nathan Road and designer shops – LV, Chanel, Burberry. I would’ve been in heaven if I have money to shop! But no, we went to the city with several itineraries in mind. However, as soon as we reached the hotel, fatigue sets in. Our legs were aching that we didn’t have the strength to leave our hotel room. We probably wouldn’t except that the room was too small! Sandy calls it “mini-hotel” and proclaimed that she didn’t like it one bit. It was decent and amenities were good, the size was just too small for the three of us. But to our surprise, we slept soundly – probably because we’re just too tired.

As soon as we arrived, we went out and checked out the shops along Nathan Road. The Husband was drooling over the camera lenses while Sandy was doing her best to walk. She was soooo tired but not complaining at all! I was tired myself and just couldn’t see anymore. Not even the nice coats, boots and outfit from the shops we’ve passed.

The weather was pretty cold now so I’m glad we brought our warmer jackets.

Finally we found a place that sells food for 40-50HKD. We got so used to expensive food in Disney that we were pleasantly surprised on the quantity. It was definitely a good meal – taste and value for money.

After lunch, we went back to the hotel and waited for Caryl (online friend) to call us so she can tell us what to do. That time, we were so wasted that we’d rather have someone escort us around the city. But by 4PM, I still haven’t heard from her so The Husband decided to go ahead and check out The Peak. It was our first time to ride the MTR, we’ve been taking cabs since we arrived in HK. It was a pleasant experience and even Sandy enjoyed the train ride. The long walk (again!) from Central to The Peak tram ruined it all though. The Husband seemed desperate to save the day so he kept cheering us up. I probably wouldn’t mind the walk except I’m pregnant and still tired from Disneyland and it was just heartbreaking to see Sandy try to put one foot at a time.

There was another line to the tram – no surprise there. And we had to deal with rude people once more.

After the ride and at The Peak

My energized little bunny (just love this little trooper)

View up there

After dinner, we saw how long the line was back to the tram. Sandy looked like she was gonna fall any minute so we decided to get a cab. To my surprise, it wasn’t that expensive. We should have taken the cab in the first place! Sandy slept in the cab and woke up when we reached the hotel where she still managed to play with her PSP and chat animatedly no matter how tired she was.

Our day 4 was spent in Duty Free, shopping for chocolates and stuffed toys for Sandy. Too bad we weren’t able to change our flight to a later sched or else, we would’ve enjoyed the city a little more. For now, if ever we’ll go back again, we’ll probably just stay in Disneyland and not go to the city anymore. The trip will be for Sandy anyway and her soon-to-be sister.

Here’s us waiting for the shuttle to Disneyland park.

Sandy knew what to expect since it’s our 2nd day already.

She posed for a while and then told me that she wanted to give her drawings of Mickey and Minnie to them. It was a long line I’m telling you but after an hour or so of standing, we got our chance to meet the most famous characters in Disney. Sandy gave them her drawings and I was happy to note that they both “loved” and gushed over it. Then they gave Sandy plenty of kisses which thrilled Sandy to no end.

After that, we went to Adventure Land to watch the Festival of the Lion King show. Sandy got hungry again(!) so we bought her some snacks and had some photos taken while waiting.

One of Sandy’s shots.

I’m so glad she’s old enough to take photos!

After the shows, we ate twice again (trust me, you’ll get hungry with all that walking too), had some photos taken with Cinderella, watched the parade (another post) and then stayed in the park until 7PM to watch the fireworks.

More photos on Flickr.