It was freezing cold to me when I visited my sister in Adelaide just recently. It was so cold that I wish I had a North Face Jacket with me.  I had expected the weather to be at this temperature and I thought a light jacket would be fine.  But I was wrong!  I was basically wearing many layers of regular tee-shirt underneath my light jacket to try to keep warm, thus I looked like a bulky elephant with all the layers under me. 

If I had the North Face Jacket, then I would look so much better for our pictures without being bulky. As you see in the picture next to this post is the W Varius Guide Jacket in Jewel Blue/Plume Blue. With this jacket, I can be warm and dry all the time.  Some of the features on this jacket including fully adjustable and removable hood with lower face protection, brushed chinguard lining, internal chest zip pocket and elastic plus Velcro adjustable cuffs.   

You can get this jacket online on Webtogs UK.   You may qualify for free shipping if your shipping address is within UK. And if you live in EU, you may be eligible for free shipping too (minimum purchase applies, depending on the countries). Currently Webtogs is having a promotion on selected items with savings up to 60%. Get stock up for your winter needs before it arrives. 

And for me, I will make sure I bring along a thicker jacket next time I am visiting Australia during their winter season.  May be I will make my next trip to Australia during their summer time so I don’t have to worry about the cold temperature. 

Last weekend was the first day I went back to the Del Amo Mall after my trip to Australia. A lot of shops were having sales. At Disney Store, I bought two tee shirts, each for $5 plus sales tax.

These are Disney Tee-shirts which they sold in March and early April to celebrate Earth Day. Now they are on sale. Original price at $12.99 and now they are going for $5 a piece.

The above tee-shirt I bought for myself. It is the girl’s size but I can fit in it, no problem. The size is small 5/6. It is made with 100% organic cotton.

This one is for Brandon, size XS. Part of this tee-shirt was made from recycle water bottles. This is RETHINK FABRIC.

The labels were printed on 100% recycled paper with soy based inks.

Our weather has been on the milder side this summer. I remember how it was so hot last year during this time of the year and there were wild fires around Los Angeles. Fortunately for me, I was not in Los Angeles to experience the extreme hot weather last year. I was in Malaysia then.

This year is the opposite. The daily temperature is pretty much below normal. It is almost like the winter weather in Brisbane where I’ve just returned from. It is summer now but we still feel the chilly breeze in our neighborhood which is about 8 miles from the beach.  I still need a light jacket to go out in the evening time and I think this Summer Jeans Jacket from PlanetTogs is perfect for me.

First thing I like of this jacket is the color and it is double-breasted. It is 100% cotton, this means I don’t have to send it of for dry cleaning, thus saving me some expenses for special need laundry. This jacket is made in Germany and not from China. I’ve seen many other websites but this particular website, Planet Togs carries one of the most diverse designer fashion collections from all over the world. And most of their items are below MSRP. So be sure to pop by and check them out for all types of fashion items for your new summer collections.

When I was in Australia, I was introduced to Kid’s Omega 3 Fish Oil by my sister. Her son, same age as mine has been taking it for approximately one year now and I can see he is in much way more advance than my son. Her son can concentrate on one project for a long time and has better temperament. He has been taking the Nature’s Way Kids Smart Pre-school for children age 6 months and above. My sister recommends me to buy the Nature’s Way Kids Smart Omega 3 for children age 3 and up.

The first trial bottle (50 Fruity Chewable Burstlets) I bought for $11.45 in Adelaide. I immediately opened up the bottle and twisted the fish tail to release the liquid into my son’s mouth while I popped the chewy empty capsule into my own. He liked it. I liked it too. And from the third or fourth time, I just gave him the whole chewy burstlet and I was surprised he actually enjoys taking the whole thing. I gave him 1-2 burstlets per day. Later in Brisbane, I bought another 10 bottles of them from a pharmacy for $10 a bottle. Each burstlets contains 500mg of Fish Oil Natural.

Here are some information taken from Nature’s Way website:

Kids Smart Preschool helps support:
• Brain function including problem solving and learning.
• Behaviour and temperament.
• Hand eye co-ordination.

Kids Smart Omega 3
Pack size
50s, 125s chewable soft gel burstlets

Function
Fish Oil to help support healthy brain function Development.

Description & Benefits
Be kids smart and help your children get adequate levels of fish oil the smart way.

Omega-3 fatty acids can’t be made by humans and therefore need to be part of a healthy diet. Nature’s Way Kids Smart is specifically formulated to assist in providing children with adequate levels of vital Omega-3 Fish Oil nutrients DHA and EPA. These can help to support and maintain: healthy brain function, eye health, and nervous system health, as well as learning, healthy behaviour and temperament in some children.

Directions
Children from 3 years: Take 1-2 chewy Burstlets per day.

No added: gluten, yeast, wheat, dairy, artificial colours or preservatives
Store below 30C

Mercury Tested: Nature’s Way only uses quality Fish Oil, so you know your kids are getting mercury-tested Fish Oil that has our tick of approval.

I will not be updating this blog for a while as I am away for my holiday in Australia.  Currently, I am in Sydney and having a wonderful time here.  We are staying at the Meriton on Pitt Street serviced apartment and I highly recommend this place to anyone traveling here.  We are in a 2 bedrooms apartment on the 36th floor.  We have a peek-a-boo view of the Sydney Harbor Bridge.  It is very near to all amenities - trains stations, monorails, shopping, grocery, food and sight-seeing points. 

The rate for this 2 bedrooms unit was around $200.  But do expect to pay more on weekends and public holidays.  It has a fully equiped kitchen with microwaves, stove, oven and refrigerator.  We made dinners instead of eating out.  The total for our four nights stay is $756, and my sister made the booking online through their website which is cheaper than what we would pay at wotif dot com. 

I will be back updating this blog after my trip.  See you then.

Victoria Secret is having the lowest I’ve seen cotton panties sale from now till June 1st, 2009.  Regular price at around $7-9 per panty, now they are on sale - 10 for $25, which is only $2.50 for one.  If you buy more than 10, each additional panty will be $2.50 each.

This sale is crazy and their cotton panties shelves are almost wiped out empty.  Fortunately for me, I was able to grab 10 of them in different designs but of the same colors.  I should have went when the sales started on May 21st.  Anyway, hope you able to find some at the VS store near you.  The sales ends June 1st, so go now, don’t wait.

My previous post on Phillips Avent BPA Free Baby Bottle 9oz has brought a lot of visitors from Malaysia looking for the bottles. Unfortunately that time, we were only able to get them in the States. Just recently a reader (Mrs. Chai - Thank you) came by and left a comment at my blog regarding the online store that is now selling the BPA Free Avent bottles.

Now, you can purchase the Phillips Avent BPA Free Baby Bottle 9oz in Malaysia. You can find this product from myBBstore dot com. At post time, they are having sale on them (9oz) for RM76.00, regular price at RM95 for two. They also sell smaller sizes of the same BPA-free bottles. Visit their website for more information.

Website:
myBBstore dot com

Address:
No 2-21, Jalan Kuchai Maju 2,
off Jalan Kuchai Lama,
58200 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-79824127
Fax: 03-79824164

Where do you buy your suitcases? We shopped at most of the stores around including Sears, Macy’s, Marshall, TJ Max and found the cheapest we could get at Ross. Although this model has been discontinued but it serves the same purpose - a bag to carry your luggage while you are traveling.

We set out mind to look for a smaller suitcase, 24″-25″ with 4 wheels. If you are a frequent traveler, you probably knew by now that most airlines have reduced the weight allowed for each passenger per suitcase. Prior to May 2008, each passengers were allowed a suitcase with 70 lbs, but now it has been reduced to 50 lbs on most airlines, international or domestic. We have several suitcases but bigger and heavier too but they will not be good for traveling now (unless you want to pay over weight charges).

Macy’s always has sales 50-60% off the regular price which end up with a sale price still very high. So we visited Ross one day and the first store we went we saw the suitcase we like. We bought two same size and one of them is this Samsonite Expandable Mobilite Spinner Upright 26 in red. The dimension of this suitcase is 25″ x 18″ x 8″. It has a 10 year warranty with it. We paid $60 plus sales tax for this. Regular price would be above $150 for sure.

This Upright Spinner allows 360 degree rolling in multiple directions. It weighs around 11-12 lbs, so you can still add approximately 38 lbs of stuff in it to get to the maximum allowed weight at 50 lbs.

We went to several other Ross after, but couldn’t find any other suitcases as cheap as this.

Here are more view of the suitcase.

Back view

Retractable handle

Interior compartment

Four spinner wheels for easy mobility

The website hosting service for my blogs will be expiring soon. I am with BlueHost now and so far, I have no problems with them except the monthly rate is a bit higher than most. The monthly rate I paid with my 2 years contract came out to be $6.95/month. I know there are many other cheaper web hosting services but I am too lazy to change over.

One day, I was browsing at Web Hosting Geek, and found that BlueHost is offering $4.95/month service. I wrote to BlueHost mentioning about the deal and that I would like to renew my web hosting with that rate. However, I received a reply from them stating that rate is only for new clients.  Then I asked again if there is any special promotion for current clients and their reply was no, all renewals have to pay the full price. Of course I was upset. Even if they would give a slight discount, I will consider of staying with BlueHost. I know I can easily find another web hosting company that is half the price I am paying with BlueHost.

Now with my new mindset, I started my research at Web Hosting Geek to find out which companies will be offering the best deal before my contract with BlueHost expires. Then I accidentally read an article “Avoiding Common Web Hosting Traps“. Now I have to think twice before I switch over. I read mixed reviews for those cheaper web hosting companies. I don’t know if I want to spend the time to do the switching over and only to find their service is unreliable compare to BlueHost. May be I will just sign another new contract with BlueHost at their full price avoiding all the hassle of looking and transferring data to a new web hosting company.  I am still undecided.

So for you out there, compare the services before you sign up. If you prefer cheaper deal, please make sure the web hosting company is reliable and sign up for the longest possible contract they have to keep your rate the lowest.

Toy ‘R’ Us had a great sale two days before Easter Sunday. Many items were discounted at great price. We were there casually not intended to buy anything but when my Hubby saw this Thomas & Friends Take Along Light and Sounds Morgan’s Mine Adventure Set, he asked if my son wanted it. The price tag on this is $39.99 but with a 30% discount. Hubby has a few dollar left in a gift and we also received a $3 coupon from Geoffrey for my son’s birthday.

My son was looking at the box for a long time and still haven’t gave us an answer. There is a sample button on the top for ‘Try Me’ to see some lights and hear some sound. We pressed it to show it to our son. He likes it! So we paid for it. The discounted price was $28, then we used the $3 coupon to bring it down to $25.

Age 3+. This box includes 2 Die-Cast Metal Engines (Thomas and Troublesome Truck) with 11 feet of track to play. It comes in 35 pieces and has two backdrops. Can be connected to other Thomas & Friends Take Along products for more fun and adventure.

I just received the flyer yesterday on this latest promotion from Papa John’s Pizza.  We always like their pizza best compared to Pizza Huts and Dominos.

LARGE 3-TOPPING PIZZA for $8.99 (plus sales tax where applicable)

Order online at papajohns dot com using coupon code 899OL.  This code will expire on 5/5/09. 

After hearing the news about BPA baby products, I don’t think I would want to have that material in my toddler’s daily use items. We previously used the Nuby’s straw bottle when we go out and now I switched it to this 12 oz (355ml) stainless steel Thermos Foogo Straw Bottle.

I think the design of this bottle is very child friendly. Firstly, the fall test. Well, I didn’t purposely throw down the bottle but accidents happened and I find the bottle is still in good condition despite the two dents on the exterior. There is a hygienic push button for the lid and it snaps close easily for leak proof travel. The straw is made of soft silicone, very easy and comfortable to sip. It can keep drinks cold and fresh for up to 12 hours. I have only use this for water storage and not for any milk or juices. This bottle is sweat-proof, dishwasher safe and made from Thermos’ best double wall vauum insulation for maximum temperature retention.

You may be able to find this bottle at Target stores or Babies ‘R’ Us. Prices may range between $15.99 to $17.99. If you want to get it at Target, you have to be there at the right time as they have limited stock and usually run out of this bottle. I got mine from BBRU for a higher price but with the coupon I received, it brought the price down to $14.40 plus sales tax.

• TherMax® double wall vacuum insulation for maximum cold temperature retention
• Keeps drinks fresh and cold for up to 12 hours
• Hygienic push button lid with pop-up silicone straw is easy to open
• Kid-proof design - unbreakable stainless steel interior and exterior withstands daily wear and tear Dishwasher safe
• Exterior stays condensation free
• Non-slip, scratch resistant base

Product description & measurementsVolume: 12 oz
Weight: 0.67 lb
Dimensions: 2.62″ L x 2.62″ W x 7.25″ H

The above is the Circo (Target) One Step Stool which we bought recently for our growing toddler. The regular price on this step stool is $14.99 and it was on sale the week we bought it and we paid $11 plus sales tax. This stool is slightly heavier than regular plastic stool. It is made of laminated wood. Just remind your toddler to be careful when moving this between the toilet and the sink or moving it elsewhere. It is definitely steadier than what we’ve been using - the Ikea Mammut Stool. This is easy to clean, just need to wipe it down with a damp cloth. The measurement of this stool is 12″ x 10″ x 8″.

Finally I thought I found a pair of sunglasses which I like but after one day of wearing it, I found it was not suitable for me. When shopping at Camarillo Outlet Mall two weekends ago, I saw this pair of very nice Oakley Fives sunglasses. I have several other sunglasses but they are old and I needed a new pair for my coming up travel/cruise to Alaska.

I paid $70 plus sales tax for this Warm Grey Oakley Fives Sunglasses at Sunglasses Hut. This particular style was not on sale. While I was testing it out at the store, it was fine. But when I wore it during the return trip from the outlet mall back to our home (less than an hour), I found it uncomfortable. The frame was basically resting on my cheek instead of the bridge of my nose. I knew that when I was trying it at the store, but it wasn’t uncomfortable to me until I wore it for 45 minutes long. Unfortunately, my nose is quite flat. Fortunately for me, the sunglasses came with a 30 days return policy. All I need to do is to find another Sunglasses Hut store around my area to return it.

I thought I would have one item less on my things-to-get-for-the-trip list but I guess not.  Even with this pair of sunglasses out of the list, there are still many items I am looking to get at the right style and price.  I still need to hunt for a new pair of outdoor clothing (may be a wind breaker as I heard the weather in Alaska can be cold in the month of May), one or two new blouses, a new swimsuit (must try to utilize the swimming pools on the cruise), a jacket for my son, a new pair of walking shoes for my son, two new light suitcases with spinners and now, another pair of sunglasses.

From today till 2/28, you will be able to get this DVD for cheap from Target. It is on sale for $10 plus sales tax. This DVD is selling at a discounted price at Amazon for $14.99. So at $10 a piece, is a good steal. I have given permission for my hubby to get one for our collection. My son loves Dr. Seuss books and we have several already. Hmm … probably we will get the book too and read it to my son before we show him this DVD.