If you're a parent or guardian to tweens and teens like me, or if you just want to know what's piquing the interest of these kids, here are some things my children have been into this past month.

More than just flavored fries

I have yet to meet a parent who doesn’t enjoy a cup of freshly cooked fries with their children. I almost always say yes to buying Potato Corner. So when I found out about the Uniqlo X Potato Corner UT shirt collaboration, I knew I just had to get the shirts for them. We went to a few stores, but by the time we found one that had the collection, they were all sold out. Luckily, they had a second batch of releases, and I was able to buy a few pieces.

For those who missed this collection, the staff informed me that you can still purchase these shirts featuring hand-drawn illustrations of Poco, their mascot, from select branches, including Cebu and Davao, which offer the UTme! service for personalizing shirts. While you're in the store, you might as well take advantage of the brand’s ongoing 40th global anniversary promotions, such as a free upcycled pouch made by the non-profit Bukas Palad Foundation, for customers who purchase items within the first two hours from the time the store opens, until June 2 only.

But it didn’t stop there. While we were out in the mall, we chanced upon a kid enjoying a cup of hot fries with a Poco plushie sitting on his shoulder via a magnetic clip. We went straight to the kiosk and bought one for each of our three children—and fries, of course! This month, they announced additional merchandise such as bucket hats, tote bags, and stickers.

Twinning shoes for mommy and mini-me

It’s always fun to dress up, especially when you have a daughter who enjoys wearing mini-versions of what you are wearing. I recently discovered the Brazilian brand Zaxy, which offers jelly shoes that are vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, and recyclable, too! With prices starting at P999, these comfy shoes definitely won’t break the bank. You can shop online or visit their first brick-and-mortar shop at SM Dasmariñas and select department stores.

Boost kids’ immunity with Vitamin C ++

“Whether or not sequencing shows variants flagged by global health agencies, the DOH assumes the flagged Omicron subvariants (i.e., KP.2, KP.3) are already likely here and notes that cases continue to be clinically mild and manageable,” announced the Department of Health (DOH).

Even if it's bearable, it's best not to be infected by COVID-19 or get sick, especially when our children are involved. Since the pandemic began, I've been reminded by our pediatrician about the importance of immunity boosters. As a result, my children have been taking Vitamin C plus zinc daily. Zinc is particularly important for optimizing the body's immune functions, especially those of the white blood cells, which play a key role in fighting off infections.

My children have been taking Ceelin Plus (Vitamin C + Zinc), and they’ve recently tried the chewable and gummy formats, depending on their mood. A brand that’s celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, they were the first to introduce the patented ZincPlus technology in 2009, further emphasizing their commitment to providing innovative and effective immunity support. From my parenting perspective, I'm grateful that Unilab, the company behind this, has put great thought into offering different variants, ensuring parents and their children have options for their daily intake. Currently, my children are enjoying the chewables. Taking vitamins and more has never been this easy!