5 Tips for a Cooler Summer Vacation

It is definitely hot these days. PAG-ASA reports temperature as high as 41 degree Celsius on some days. The kids can go nuts when it's really hot. Here are some irresistible ways to cool off during these hot summer months.

1. Turn on the Air Conditioner

Though as much as possible we don’t want to use our air conditioner to save on electricity, we choose to turn it on for at least 3 hours during the night. Without the aircon, the kids are complaining about the hot weather. It's difficult for them (me, too) to sleep.

It's been a month now that we used the aircon and I just saw my April electric bill with a P700+ increase primarily because of aircon use. I read on the Meralco website that turning on the aircon, for example, during off-peak hours means I will be charged less. I hope that is true. Off-peak hours at night starts at 9 pm. So, we usually turn on the aircon at 9 pm just before we go to sleep.

2. Go swimming at home

Last week, the girls enjoyed swimming in our above the ground pool, which we bought in 2013. It’s about 3 feet deep but usually we don’t put that much water because we feel guilty about saving water. It comes with a water pump/filter and pool cover so the water can keep clean for a few days and the kids can swim more than once.

I remember one time in 2014 when we had the pool set up in our backyard. It was so hot that even the grown-ups (even lola) joined in and had a dip in the pool.  Sulit na sulit yung water. Afterward, we use the pool water for watering the plants, flushing the toilet and cleaning around the house.

3. Enjoy Eating Ice Cream, Shakes and Halo-Halo

Summer won’t be the same without ice cream, shakes and halo-halo.

I taught my kids how to make smoothies and shakes just by blending together some shake powder (chocolate and ube are their favorites), some milk and crushed ice. Another option to make it healthier is to peel some bananas, freeze them and then blend them with the shake. You can also freeze other fruits (mango, pineapple, etc). But sometimes, when we're out of the house, we just can't help but buy Zagu or Dunkin Donut iced beverages. Starbucks beverages are just too expensive for us.

Sometimes, we buy halo-halo for P15-20 from the neighbor who is selling it to make an extra buck. Last Sunday after the church service, we went to Eastwood Mall. After lunch, my kids are so "makulit" about eating Dairy Queen ice cream. I ended up spending P500 for all 7 of us. Well, what can I say, the ice cream was really perfect to beat the summer heat.

We haven’t tried making ice cream just like how Gemma Stafford does it in her videos below. Maybe we will try some of her recipes this summer. They look so delicious.

4.  Go to the Mall or Park

It’s obvious that people frequent the mall these days because it’s cold there. But you have to spend some money at least for the food if you go there just like when we went to Eastwood Mall last Sunday.

Going to the park is also good if you want to breathe some fresh air. We go to RAVE park in Pasig from time to time since it is very close to our home. The place is really cool with all the trees around.

These are the girls with their cousins. They like playing at RAVE when they were small.

But last Sunday, we went to Quezon Memorial Circle. We attended our church's sunrise Easter service. Then, we shared breakfast with our church mates. After, we went for a little stroll; the others played badminton.

5. Stay cool inside your house

Even if you're just staying at home, you can do something more to keep yourself cool aside from those mentioned above. Here are just some ideas:

• Wear comfortable clothing. Read here for some fashion tricks to keep you cool.
• Take a bath or shower in the morning and before going to sleep.
• Open the windows to let fresh air in.
• Let down the curtains if sunlight directly hits the window.
• Drink water. Keep yourself hydrated especially when it's very hot. Read what happens if you don't drink enough water.

That's it for this post. How about you? What do you like doing during summer to keep cool? Where do you usually go?