Looking for LifeSaver Lollipops

Ali, my 3-year old daughter, likes lollipops. Her favorite is the swirled Lifesaver lolly which she got to taste quite recently.

The Lifesaver lollipops are quite attractive in color and appearance -- it being wrapped in clear, transparent plastic. It is flattish -- despite its round shape and its size is just perfect for kids, not too big that they do not get to finish it and for moms not to worry too about hyper kids later in the day.

My parents were in the US quite recently and I asked them to get hold of those Lifesaver lollipops. (Note: That was before we watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory where Willy Wonka's dentist-dad referred to lollipops as "cavities on a stick" but what the heck?) What do you know -- they were so hard to find. In fact, they didn't find any after going to so many stores.

Here in the Philippines, we checked out the candy stands like Candy Corner and the like and they didn't have it. Some say we may be able to find it at Cost U Less in Libis but we have yet to check it out.

Anyway, since Lifesavers Lollipops were not available in the US when my parents were there, they brought home tons (ok, am exaggerating) of other brands -- some they bought and some bought by my brother and sis-in-law. What brands were these?

1. Assorted Tootsie Rolls -- assorted flavors with a chewy tootsie roll in the middle. This comes in boxes of 100! This is available locally and is probably one of the easiest to find lollipop in Manila.

2. See's Lollipops -- fat, rectangular shape lollies whose taste appeals more to adults as they are not too sweet. A box has different flavors, namely: Chocolate, Vanilla, Butterscotch, and Cafe Latte.

3. Starburst Fruit Chew Pops -- these have a fruity hard candy shell and then in the center, there is chewy fruit candy. A pack contains flavors like apple, strawberry, watermelon, orange, and cherry.

4. Jolly Ranchers -- squarish, relatively transparent, flattish lollies, quite sour in taste pero masarap! They come in watermelon, apple, cherry, and pink lemonade flavors.

We asked for Lifesavers and didn't get them. We got more than we asked for though. A lot like life and prayers don't you think? Sometimes, we think we know what we want, are disappointed when we don't receive it -- but in time, we realize that we have more blessings than what we actually expected. It just goes to show you that even when looking for lollipops, you may learn a valuable lesson or two. In that lesson, lies the real Lifesaver. Ain't life sweet? =)