Trick or Treat for Unicef

We didn't get Ally a Halloween costume, but that didn't stop us from Trick or Treating! Instead of going around the neighborhood to ask for candy, we joined the UNICEF Superhero campaign and asked for donations from Ally's lolos and lolas, and ninangs at the party we attended last Sunday. This was such a fun idea! 

When we were at SM Megamall a few weeks ago, Ally's cousin Yapoy got this free kit from the UNICEF booth. The kit contained a Trick or Treat donation box, ballers that say "I have the right to play", a participation pin, and some forms. But since Yapoy is on vacation, the kit was passed on to Ally. 

From the UNICEF press release:

The tradition of Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF began in 1950 in the United States, when Philadelphia schoolchildren first went door-to-door at Halloween collecting money in decorated milk cartons to help children in need around the world.
They raised a grand total of $17, kicking off a campaign that has since brought in millions of dollars each year to help UNICEF provide medicine, better nutrition, safe water, education, emergency relief and other support to children in more than 150 countries.
Millions of children now participate in Halloween-related fundraising campaigns in the United States, Canada and Hong Kong, China, among other places.  In these campaigns, children go far beyond trick or treating in scary costumes with the familiar orange UNICEF collection boxes in hand. Children and young people take part in various fun and educational events that help them gain a better understanding of child rights and the challenges facing children around the world – including poverty, killer diseases and armed conflict.
This global campaign, now in the Philippines, has raised more than $167 million around the world and remains an inspiration to the young (and the young at heart) to further the cause of children everywhere.

We're turning in the donation box this week. Thank you lolos, lolas, and ninangs for your donation to UNICEF!

What to wear for Halloween?

It's Ally's first Halloween. Technically, it's her second, but since she was still a newborn last year, we didn't get to experience it.

This year, I don't want to miss the hullabaloo. I can't pass up a chance to dress her up in a cute outfit. I don't know what costume to get though. Any suggestions? It has to be very comfy and it shouldn't require a hat or hair thingie. She doesn't like wearing headgear! I don't want her to be in full mascot attire - we live in a tropical country so it's going to be really warm in a full suit.

But look at these photos of her taken at a studio a few weeks before her birthday. I didn't plan the lion costume. But when I saw it at the studio, I decided to give it a shot and see if Ally would wear it. It was going to be perfect for her party invites. More on that in a future post.

I had concerns about the costume, so I checked if it was clean before I made her wear it. It was freshly laundered. I also made sure it wasn't scratchy - the inner lining was soft and silky smooth. The studio was air conditioned so I didn't have to worry about her getting uncomfortably warm.

Ta-da! My happy baby was such a good sport! I still can't believe she actually wore the lion costume! I was so happy she cooperated during the shoot, and was super surprised when she started mimicking me as I acted out how a lion would growl. That's what she's doing in the third photo below! (Now she "growls" like that every time she sees these photos of her or any lion photo. Kagigil!)

It took all of 5 minutes. I am amazed that the photographer got these shots (and more) in such a short time. And even more amazed that Ally was such a ham! I didn't expect her to last that long. As expected, she started tugging on the headgear a couple of minutes into the shoot. The photog wanted to take more photos, but I didn't want Ally to be in that suit too long, so I asked her to stop shooting. And just in time too, because Ally started to cry. She hated the headgear. As soon as I got it off her, she was a happy baby again, even with the suit still on.

So I don't recommend costumes like these for toddlers if they're going out Trick or Treating. A quick photo shoot in a studio with A/C is fine. But I can't imagine making babies wear this in Manila weather for more than 5 minutes - even in a mall!

What will your kids wear this Halloween? What's your favorite costume of theirs? Please share by commenting!