Clothes and Vacations. :-)

I haven't been on an out-of-town getaway for moooonths, and this time around, I finally got myself some time off from work. Sure, we've been to Tagaytay and Quezon a couple of times, but we didn't stay overnight so there was no 'serious' packing involved. This month, we were headed for the Summer Capital of The Philippines, Baguio City. We were to spend a couple of nights at a friend's mansion (literally, a mansion, promise! :-)).

The last time I packed for a long vacay was back in 2007 I think, when hubby and I went to Palawan, and I was just getting stuff ready for two then. :-) This time around, I had to take into consideration the needs of three individuals, me, hubby, and my little girl.

Packing for hubby was the easiest, mainly because his clothing needs are limited to jeans, shirts, and shorts --- the basics really. Doing it for my little girl was quite a challenge (now this deserves a separate blog post. It's that complex for me! Hehe.). But I never thought that it would be that difficult to pack for myself.

Here are a couple of realizations I got as far as choosing and packing the items of clothing I was to bring for a short vacay:

1. Think of the weather. - I squeezed in around 3 shirts, 3 long-sleeved blouses, 2 jackets, 3 pants, a dress, and a couple of jeans in my luggage. And I thought I'd be needing all that for a 2 days 2 nights stay in Baguio. Was I ever so wrong! Baguio's cold weather made me feel so sluggish I even had a hard time pushing myself to change clothes. :-) Kidding aside, since the weather didn't even make me sweat at all, changing clothes wasn't done as often as you usually do on a summer vacay. I'm figuring a couple of shirts, a jacket, and 2 long sleeved blouses would have been a done deal for tops. Bottoms - perhaps, a couple pair of pants, and a pair of jeans would have been good enough. Lesson learned. 
2. Think of the activities - Another thing one should factor in picking out clothes to pack would be the activities you would most probably be involved in during the getaway. With all the clothes that I've dumped into our bag, you'd think I'm taking some serious rough and tumble in Baguio, when in fact we were mostly going to lounge around and sightseeing. :-) If you're going to the beach, or would expect to do some majorly active stuff, then perhaps, more clothing items would be necessary. 
3. Think of what you want to be seen wearing. -  Being on vacation means you're expected to be in a relaxed mood. But that doesn't mean they expect you to look dumpy. :-) Wear clothes in shades that flatter your skin color, and don't forget to make sure that they're a comfortable fit. Plain shirts and jeans are great, but make sure to bring some simple accessories like a fun pair of earrings or a really cool necklace to jazz up your look. Remember mommy, this is one of those moments you want to be seen as the 'hot momma'! :-)
4. Think about comfort. - If you're traveling with your kid, then you definitely have to up the comfort factor of your clothing choices (without losing the style element of course). Dresses would definitely make you look more girly, but it wouldn't feel too 'appropriate' when you're chasing after a restless tot. I personally go for skinny jeans and leggings since they're comfy, sexy, and all it takes to make the look fab is a stylish top.
5. Think about more shopping - Going on vacation made me want to make sure I had all the clothes I'd ever need for two days (I exaggerated my 'needs' on our Baguio trip obviously. hehe). But mommies, you and I know that wherever we go, we tend to get magnetized by clothing stores! :-) So make sure to leave some room there for the stuff you plan to buy on your vacay.

Picture-picture moment with the horse we rented for the kids.

I hope this list sheds some light on how you can be a fashionably hot momma on your vacay! :-) Now after all this realizations I had, I hope my next 'packing' endeavor would be more successful. :-)