It’s been raining non-stop for days here in Manila. Whenever the weather gets wet, cold and dreary, I am tempted to just cuddle up in bed and listen to 80′s and 90′s music. There’s something about the rainy, monsoon weather that is pleasant: it’s the perfect bed weather.

However, as a mom, I can no longer stay in bed for hours. Not when I have a toddler who wakes up at the slightest hint of sunlight penetrating the linear gaps on our wooden window blinds. I thought the wake-ups would occur later, now that our mornings have been dark and gloomy of late. That’s setting my hopes too high! Vito’s up as soon as he senses it’s morning. When that happens, I have to be prepare for anything.

Preparedness is something I’ve taken seriously, especially when it comes to my boy, and more so now that the rainy season is in full swing. With the heightened storms come warnings of illnesses, the most terrifying being dengue. Since our family had a dengue scare last year with Vito, I’ve been more vigilant about keeping the mozzies away from all of us.

By Nature “Rainy Day” Savers

It seemed timely that Darlene del Mundo of By Nature (one of the leading brands of natural, handmade personal care products here in the Philippines) sent over a lovely package to me a few weeks ago, containing some “rainy day essentials” that would help tide me over during this monsoon season. (I’m a huge fan of By Nature soaps and products, which I wrote about here a couple of years ago. I love their soaps!)

BY NATURE Handmade Soaps contain NO chemical preservatives, hardeners or additives. Made the old-fashioned way, you can be sure that they contain only the finest, purest ingredients. There’s a variant to suit every kind of skin type, which I love since I do rather fussy skin!

Thank you, Darlene, for sending over these lovely products! (L-R Sea Mud Pie handmade soap; Cold Salve; Moisturizing Insect Repellent; Facial Oil; Tea Limelight handmade soap)

While the soaps Darlene sent over are lovely (especially the Tea Lemongrass — love the scent!), what truly has become useful off late has been the Moisturizing Insect Repellent, which I had never tried before. Usually, inset repellents have an overpowering citronella smell, but I found the Moisturizing Insect Repellent (MIR) to be quite light and pleasant. It’s not runny at all, and it is quite lightweight, too. I have been putting it diligently on my son after his morning and evening bath time, as well as whenever we go out of the house. And, unlike some natural insect repellents I’ve used, the MIR is stingless, making it perfect for my son’s delicate skin.

Aside from being diligent in our use of the MIR, we’ve also taken more care to safeguard our health these days. We had a bout with the flu about a week ago: My husband and I were both terribly run down with fevers, colds and aches. Vito had it less worse than my husband and I, thank God. Still, he would get fussy and frustrated during the night, whenever his nose would get blocked. This is when the Cold Salve came in handy.

Darlene herself Tweeted me about how she would use the Cold Salve on her own kids when they had sniffles and such, so I did the same. I massaged the salve onto Vito’s chest, back, and a little bit under his nose just above his upper lip. It’s minty, soothing scent is very therapeutic; I myself felt quite relaxed after inhaling it. Vito’s cold didn’t last long afterwards. In fact, he was up and about the next day, able to breathe normally without any difficulty at all!

By Nature products are available at their official website. For resellers, please refer to this page, which organizes them by location. Remember to also “LIKE” By Nature on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter.

Some Rainy Day Tips

1. Load up on immune-boosting vitamins such as a non-acidic Vitamin C, and also zinc.
2. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables; take plenty of broths and warm soups.
3. Make sure your surroundings at home are dry. Even though it’s raining, make sure that there are no areas around your home for stagnant water to accumulate. Check that your under-sink areas are also dry, as these dark, damp places are breeding grounds for mosquitos. Remember to regularly clean out trays on your potted plants, too.
4. Get enough sleep. The rainy season is notorious for bringing down our resistance towards illness and infection. Interestingly, it’s not hard to feel sleepy on dreary days like these, so take advantage of any extra sleep you can get! When your body is rested, you’ll be more resilient against stress, which is often a cause for illness.
5. Clean off your umbrellas, shoes and raincoats after coming from outside. Acid rain and polluted waters are primary causes of infection and illness during the rainy season. Make sure to leave these out to dry, if you have a covered place for them outside the house. Otherwise, clean them off in the wash room or utility area. (If you’re a bit obsessive like me **hehe** you can douse the bottoms of your shoes with an antiseptic.)

How about you? Any rainy day tips you want to share?