A Cardboard Dollhouse

Old shoe boxes made for a fun-filled morning for Elise and her friend, A, who both wanted to make a dollhouse.  They taped the two boxes together, wrapped them in white paper, and divided the first and second floors with flat cardboard.

The back of the house was painted by A.

 

 Her little brother, M, wanted to paint too!

 

And the other side was painted by Elise. 

Each room had a different color.  A little oven was made from a small box, and a refrigerator was made from a medicine syrup box.  They wanted to get some fabric to stick to the walls for wallpaper, but we were not prepared.  Floors can be designed like tiles or wooden planks.  Stickers could also decorate the walls like posters.  Aluminum foil could be framed like mirrors. 

They were all quite tired after two hours of intense work.  Okay, time for some snacks! 

Grilled Squid at Nagtabon Beach

Above is a picture of one kilo of squid that was wrapped in foil and grilled over charcoal with no salt, nor pepper or any other seasoning --- just freshly caught from the sea a couple of hours ago.   Maybe the sea breeze blew the flavor of the sea to the squid.  It was cooked before we could tire frolicking in the waves. 

The best time to go to Nagtabon Beach is around March to September.  Otherwise, the waves get really wild and sweep you back and forth the shore, leaving you with little control.

 

If you plan to spend considerable time lounging on the sand, rub some insect repellant on yourself, as you might displace some sand mites (niknik) and they leave bite marks that last for weeks.  An effective remedy for itchiness is Calmoseptine (calamine + zinc oxide), which is generally used for diaper rash.  

Oh, but the sand is fine, without any sharp shells and corals.  Occasionally there are small pebbles.  It's the best kind of sand for letting kids make their own creations.