Double Bash

Yep, you read it right. Matthew and I had our double birthday celebration last December 1 right here in our very own garden. I chose the Pirate theme not only because Matthew's first soft book was about pirates but because it was also thanksgiving for my mom who now showcases her signature bandana look. I also liked the Captain Jack Sparrow movies and I had tons of ideas from the net. It was truly a memorable event as guests flocked to the party geared up in their favorite Pirate costume.

Everything was a first in our party - first choco fountain set-up; Matthew's loot shop where the kiddos were treated to goodies in exchange for plastic coins they won during the games; our first mcdo party; our first garden party (with all the heat); and first dual celeb. Long tables were set to depict a pirate's table cabins complete with pirate printed cloth (scotched tape mind you) over my mom's ever reliable red cloths. They were actualy long curtains. Colored palm tree streamers provided much ambiance to the rented tents. The tents were my gift from my mom and dad. I also made a treasure chest made out of cardboard box to hide the special treats for the guests. We had two cakes - one was from McDonald's and the other store bought. I found the cutest pirate ship toy complete with casts, steering wheel, ladders, chests and pirates which we made into a cake topper. Loot bags were doubled as I had my own version in addition to McDonald's loot bags.

Food was all pirate with street goodies such as kikiam, squid balls, fish balls and hotdog balls. Everyone visited the food dock. The main course was of course courtesy of McDonald's (and Willie for paying the bill hehe..)

The winner of the best in costume was Declaro family who painstakingly made each detail of their costumes realistic most especially Tito Paeng who even had a long wig to boot. He was our very own Jack Sparrow. the main celebrant of course had a truly unique costume straight from the US courtesy of his Ninong Anthony. It was really unfortunate that he and Mama Lods were not able to join us as their flight was scehduled a day before the party (sayang talaga). Most of the pirate items especially the plastic gold coins were all from Anthony.

We had the event photo and video covered as my dad insisted that it be done that way. I hope to collect other pics from guests who graciously took pics during the event. Matthew and I had a blast as everyone we wanted to come were all there.

Toy Season

Christmas is truly for the kids. Matthew and I recently went to the yearly sale of Richwell Trading which is now being held at Kids Kraze in Libis Quezon City. I have heard of it from a multiply contact and reviews say that Barbie dolls are sold at P150 each while Hotwheels are at 3 for P150. This got me excited. What also made me go was the possibility of sale discounts for Megablocks Pirates of the Caribbean. Matthew's 3rd birthday party theme is pirates.

The sale is being held at a big warehouse so naturally it was best that customers come there in their most comfortable clothes. Upon entering the sale area, boxes and boxes of Fisher Price toys were the first things that caught my fancy. But it was a five piece Megablocks character set that I first placed in my shopping bag. No one could resist this item originally priced at P299.00; now being sold at P150! At Megablcoks pa ang tatak! It was truly a catch. My second purchase was a Fisher price Cookie Monster Alphabet Jar which was originally priced at P1,299.00 - now at P200! Oh man! I really had to get it; most especially that Matthew will definitely enjoy and learn from it. When you push Cookie Monster's head down, the letters spin and then when it stops, Cookie Monster will tell you the letter and an object starting with that letter. Really nice for preschoolers.

Another good find is the Hotwheels Toy Box regular price is at P119.75 but since all regular priced toys are 20% off, we got it ofr P95.75. I had to get two because it was too precious to pass. Matthew is just starting his collection of small cars so this is really perfect.

Who would have thought that in a toy haven like Kids Kraze, mom's would be delighted to find clothes and shoes. I got Matthew an orginal leather Chicco sandals at P200! It may be a little big than his size but at least he can use it in the near future.

But the biggest find I got was purchasing a Vtec Sound and Movement toy complete with band members that really move to the beat. This proved to be Matthew's favorite because he plays with it all the time now.

There are other great finds such as Barbie dolls (in plain clothes and without boxes) at P120 each; Matchbox cars at P50 each; Barbie shoes at P150 and my most regretted item not purchased is a Megablock pirate ship compelete with Pirate characters and details originally priced at P1,999; but is on sale at P1,000. Being a practical mom I thought hard about it; and I just decided to pray for someone to give it to Matthew as a gift. Calling ninongs and ninangs even titos and titas! Haha Will definitely come back for more.

Hi-5 the ultimate silencer

As a stay-at-home mom, I have so many responsibilities to do. Everyday I am faced with different activities and concerns that needs attending to. I have my homebased work, household chores, admin for our internet shop, Matthew and Willie, and most recently my online business. Even though Matthew is learning to be obedient nowadays, he is still a baby and sometimes can get into tantrums. But thanks to Hi-5 DVDs, I can relax more since Matthew loooooves Hi-5. He can follow the dialogues of Nathan, Tim, Kathleen, Charlie and Kelly and can even imitate what they are doing. When I badly need to do something, I just pop in the DVD and he's settled in front of the TV for the rest of the episodes. He's happy then I am happy :D

Soft Book Boy

Matthew is turning 3 in December so naturally as a mom I want to start him early learning his 123's and ABCs before he goes to formal schooling. Here you can see him enjoying one of my online purchases - a soft counting book that is Pirate-themed. You can see that Matthew is counting out the detachable treasure chests, the diamonds, the pirate ships, and more. That day that I received the shipment, Matthew learned to say boxes and with the help of his Ninong Mike, he excitedly responds to the line, "The Pirates are coming!" hahahaha

I also got another soft educational book but this time ABC animals. With this book Matthew learned to use two more words - Elephant and Giraffe! Worth it talaga itong soft books. What is also good about these, washable cya and babies can actually chew them while learning. So for the ninongs and ninangs thinking of a gift for Matthew, marami pang-soft books ang nasa wishlist nya ngayon hehe.

Our Little Cub

Our family made "lagare" last Sunday and attended two separate birthday parties - one was Willie's inaanak, Irka Virlyn and one was Yasha Lian's party, our dear friend Chinggay's second daughter. We didn't have the heart to choose between which party to attend and which party not to attend because both were the first birthdays of the little angels. So despite the fears of heavy rainpour, we first trooped up to Antipolo to attend Irka's birthday. The party was suppose to start at 2pm (we were fashionably late by an hour again hehe) but we were surprised that at 3:15 it hasn't started at all! So our plan of staying for just an hour and half and then head off to the next party went puffft! Matthew had a blast with Irka's party as he danced vigorously with another toddler. He enjoyed the dirty ice cream vendo while Willie and I enjoyed the chocolate fountain. Yummy!

After some chitchats with our kumareng Kathy, we went to Blue Ridge for Yasha's party. We barely made it with one last puppet story to be told (buti umabot kami). As you can see Matthew in his Tiger outfit was enjoying the party as he was very intent in watching the show. We ate too much at Irka's pary that we did not eat at all in Yasha's event. At least, we all got to see our friends and Tiger Matthew was a very pleased guest.

Simpson Mania!

The Simpsons is like the royal family of TV cartoons hehehe. Sobrang naalala ko bigla nung dati na lahat kaming magkakapatid, nagkukumpulan para manood ng TV show nila. Now they are bigtime! With the movie release this year, The Simpsons is really a family of wacky proportions.

Kaya nakakatuwa nung makita ko itong site na ito from multiply friends. Sobrang galing. Sa sobrang katuwaan ko I really sat down para ma-kuha ang features naming pamilya (as you can see, kuha ba ang features namin?). Actually hindi naman exact that you'll get a 100% accurate replica. Basta nakaktuwa pa rin cya!

So make yourself one; visit www.simpsonizeme.com

Tapsilog Family Event

Rarely does my husband and I act on impulse; but this time the new "tapsilugan" in our village proved to be something not to be missed. It was just two sundays ago that we decided after waking up (without bathing even hahaha) we as a family would troop down to the new kainan. It was a bright sunny morning and there was still a gentle breeze that accompanied us to the place. Matthew was so excited just going out of the house that he immediately climbed on the tricyle.

As a clean freak that I am, I immediately scanned the place for its sanitary features. It was relatively clean and all the service attendants wore their aprons and are groomed clean. We ordered hotsilog for Matthew and two tapsis for us. I wanted to make this blog a longer one but I am afraid it has come to a bad review for the new establishment. The food wasn't good at all. It could have been better if we fried our own rice, hotdog and tapa. The tapa was not at all tasty. It tasted like meat. That's it. No extra flavoring, no sweetness, nada!

Despite this we still enjoyed waking up early and going to the place together. We just walked home and enjoyed the village while Matthew hoped his way home. It easily beats going to the mall.

I'm Starting a New Collection!

When I was working before, I never lost my enthusiam when the conversation is about make-up. I am always updated to what is the latest trends - from mascaras that lengthen your lashes to lipsticks that stay forever. Unfortunately, these branded items are costly. It is quite an investment. Now that I'm working at home, nothing exciting happens on my face - I mean no make-up at all. Well its nice to know that after 9 years of everyday make-up to the office, my face takes a breather. But now I miss it.

I could remember the first time I tried on make-up professionally. Professionally meaning I had to wear make-up. Talagang dapat period! Ask my friend Mox and she definitely remembers that. It was my first job and I landed work in a mall conglomerate that entailed presenting your best foot forward. And being part of HRD, you should take the lead. Eh pano kung di ako marunong. To top it all off, my boss is very strict about it. Oh well, powder here, a little eyeshadow there, some blush and mascara. I'm good to go. It was not so soon that I got hooked up with ordering various blushes and powders from my convenient officemate via the ever popular catalog-based make-up company.

Ok let's stop the reminiscing part and go back to what I am excited about these days - mineral make-up. And its brand is Baby Doll. Mineral make-up contains the purest ingredients and does not contain irritating components. People who have sensitive and problematic skin said that their skin improved while wearing make-up. What? as in double what? Make-up that is good for the skin that you can sleep on it? Grabe. So here I am starting my collection of Baby Doll mmu. Now I am wearing make-up at home!

There are other brands like Monavue, Bare Escentuals and Luminare. I also want to try them when I do get the chance. But in the meantime, its Baby Doll. I got addicted to them just two weeks ago because of their cute packaging and their product names: TICKLE ME PINK for the blushes line; DOLLFACE for oil absorbing powder; SUGAR KISS that can be used in so many different ways with so many yummy colors to choose from; DREAMWHIP for their corrective line; and LIGHT AS FEATHER foundation line. There's also spf lotion for the face called SMOOTH OPERATOR. I can use this whenever I have my trips in Divisoria (I am soo an addict that I even took pictures of my current must-haves). I plan to collect the whole line hehe. Homebased work here's to more puyat hours.

New Hobby: Local Online Shopping

Shopping will forever be in my vocabulary. When I do window shopping in malls and I am with my hubby and son, I always feel guilty because it really takes me so long to go through racks and racks of clothes and display after display of trinkets, gadgets and accessories. For me its always finding that unique piece. Now I have a new venue for this - local online shopping! I have always been amazed by products from other countries. It is there that you really find one-of-a-kind pieces. But with the peso-dollar conversion (even if its P46 to a dollar na) I don't think I am getting my money's worth because of all the shiting este shipping rates that are sometimes bigger than the price of the item. That's why I have always been biased in shopping online. No offense to ebay and amazon.com. Sometimes when I really need the item, my cousin Anthony is generous enough to buy these for me. I had no idea that our country is rich in unqiue items as well.

I recently got a hold of a website which sells BabyDoll mineral makeup. I just recently heard of the so called "mmu" from Shopcrazy.com.ph. Out of curiosity I checked out the site. As soon as I saw the products (packaging pa lang parang foreign product cya) I got excited. With the descriptions about each makeup - foundation, blushes, shimmer, mineral veils and sunblocks I began to choose the shades approporiate for me. I soon found myself filling out the order form to purchase my very own Baby Doll mmu.

Local online shopping is easier, faster and you get to meet other interesting people. Most of them have multiply.com accounts. You can pay through the bank and the popular G-cash. Shipping is an alternative as you just pay around P50-P100 bucks. Not bad for a bag-filled purchase. You can also set-up a meeting with the seller at your most convenient location. Soon enough I was bringing home my goodies. The products did not fail me. They lived up to their promise of sheer coverage and long-lasting wear. Although I need to "road test" them when I go out where the tempertaure is the hottest.

Thus this is the start of my online shopping addiction. Like the traditional shopping, I must have spent 5 hours straight just surfing the net (lagot na ako sa electricity bill namin). I went over my BabyDoll seller's other business contacts and found other interesting sellers of shirts, bags, gadgets, accessories (and even food) that are either bought from abroad or are locally made but not available in malls and tiangges. Talk about ultimate uniqueness! The prices are reasonable enough and the shipping rates are not that bad either. For a stay-at-home mom like me who cannot go out that often, this new hobby of mine is God-sent. More importantly, I won't have that guilty feeling whenever I spent too much time in the mall shopping while my hubby and son waits for me. Now they just have to wait for me to finish surfing hahahaha!

Miss Universe Habit

Today was a treat for me and for any other woman (and gays as well) because of the coronation of the Miss Universe 2007. People from around the world converge in a single monent and it only happens when this event occurs. Never mind the issues on feminists rights; of wearing swimsuits as poor judgement on the beauty of a woman; or that it is flaunting too much of a conservative dame. Watching the Miss Universe pageant is at least fulfilling my forgotten dream (and every girls dream I guess) of being a beauty queen.

Looking at my past, I seem to be surrounded by facts about beauty pageants. For one, my name was taken from a Miss Universe candidate from Columbia. So I wouldn't mind if anyone calls me Miss Columbia or Mrs. Columbia to be accurate hehehe...Another thing is that my Tita Bong Dimayacyac is a Mutya ng Pilipinas Winner with the title of Miss Asia Pacific. Tita Bong is the first cousin of my mom. I could remember vividly when the Dimayacyac clan were watching the live telecast of Tita Bong's pageant night where she eventually won. Since then I have anxiously waited to watch beauty pageants both local and international ones. My mom also was recognized for her beauty when she was chosen as Reyna Emperatriz during her haydays in the beautiful island of Oriental Mindoro.

My dear husband respects this enjoyment I have whenever I watch shows such as these and he would voluntarily take care of chores for me when I am glued to the tube. Like this morning when the Miss Universe 2007 was on cable, I heard him say to Matthew, "Matthew behave, mom is watching TV".

This year's winner, Miss Japan Riyo Mori was indeed a deserving winner. Other finalists such as Miss Korea and Miss Brazil may be more beautiful than she is but I believe the judges saw how natural she was on stage. The others were too concerned about their poise, and how they should conduct themselves in a formal manner but Riyo was waving like a normal person and projected that she was really, really having fun even during that crucial and perennial question-and-answer portion. Thus I give my thumbs up to the judges for seeing beyond beauty and poise but considering the true person in the candidates. Mabuhay Riyo!

Missing my Sweety

Mu husband has been absent for 2 days now from our humble abode because of a teambuilding event at Zambales. The jealous wife in me wanted that he doesn't go and that he just enjoys his two-day off with us instead of being surrounded by officemates. Sometimes I am so selfish that I don't want to share him with his friends. But what is good about my husband is that he has a way of comforting me that the trip is just something he needs to do as part of his work.

That's just me as a wife. We have our quarrels over these things that I tend to forget that he is not just a husband and a father period (hmmm sounds like my previous post hehe). He also needs other people so that he can allow himself to mature and eventually be a better person.

Being married means knowing that despite sharing the same interests and values, you will always end up realizing your differences. Talk about men are from Mars and women are from Venus (I wonder where is my copy of that book). Willie is definitely a man who is only concerned about straight answers and straight solutions; I on the other hand delve (too much sometimes) on repercusions and consequences of decisions; and he likes to sleep all day or stay at home while I would like to discover new things outside.

But what I have learned on being married is that more than just loving, respecting and honoring one another is that each one should ACKNOWLEDGE the inevitable differences that man and woman have. This means that if you sacrifice something, you should not expect that the other person to do the same. And if you do you just end up being hurt. Expectations can bring great pressure on the relationship and may even be the root of all marital problems.

That's why for Jane and Karlo, acknowledge the innate differences you have. Love you guys!

Been Sooo Busy!

It has been more than two months that I last made an entry in our blog. This is because I have been busy with my home based work that I failed to update what has happened in the days before. O well better late than never!

Work for me has become an avenue to express one of my frustrations - be a writer. Well at first I wanted to be a creative writer in the hopes of joining the ranks of J.K. Rowling, Nicholas Sparks, Mia Sandoval and the great Almira Jose...shucks how I really wish...Instead I ended up with technical writing. It's not that I am complaining or anything but it was quite a big plunge for me. Academic research writing is so much more structured and most especially when clients demand a very particular format of writing. Anyway that's life and the pay isn't bad either.

It may be a very feasible set-up to work at home but it also has its drawbacks - staggered time for my Matthew. Everytime I sitdown in front of the computer, he'll surely follow and ask to be seated on my lap. But as deadlines burn my head, my impatient heart gets the best of me and sometimes asks him to play alone. How I dread every minute of that but momma's got to work. It's not that I need to but I WANT to.

I really feel guilty when I sometimes put my work first before my family. I'm not afraid to admit this (even with the possibility of being judged by others) because I believe it does happen. The guilt I may be experiencing may come from the years of society's upbringing on the female role that when one is married she becomes a wife and a mother period. I don't want to forget that I am a person first and foremost and that I have my own personality, wants and desires. After I stopped working, having the research writer work makes me feel fulfilled because I am doing something for myself. Even when I get into trouble with deadlines; or that I have no knowledge of the topic whatsoever; and even when most of my clients can be overly-demanding; at the end of the day, once I have completed my work, I feel so happy. The kind of happiness you don't get from your husband or from your child - but from yourself.

Not an Unfortunate Event

I can't believe it! I really, really can't believe it!

It was an ordinary Monday. I was on my usual mall expedition, making "small discoveries" when I passed by National Bookstore. They always have books on sale. Piles and piles of them...but it never caught my fancy to even 'dig' thru these piles...until...I can't believe it!

There it was sitting unarranged with the other books, with its edges cramped up. When I see a book in this state, I would never give it a second look. But when I saw its title, I wanted to buy all the copies. Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events" has become my current ultimate favorite movie ever since catching it on cable TV. It's a story about the unqiue, strange, miserable, woeful, tragic and comical "events" by three Baudelaire orphans - Violet, Klaus and Sunny. Sunny is suuuuper cute! Check out the SITE. This book is actually a compilation of postcards, depicting scenes from the movie. I bought this...hold your breaths...35 bucks! I plan to frame them when we eventually acquire our dream home someday. I will definitely display this in our AV room. I love it! I love it! I love it! NOT an unfortunate event!

My Chicken Soup

It's nice to know that you will forever have a lifetime supply of chicken soup. The kind that heals your worries and anxities, warms your body and lets you know that you are loved. This is how I feel about my hubby that despite the rough roads couples frequently travel, he is still my strength. Mushy to hear, but God really gives you the person who truly deserves you. Ika nga eh totoo ang soulmate. Looking back, I never thought we would end up together. It was like finding a four leaf clover. Lucky me! Wil, despite his different upbringing, his different views in life that usually clash with mine, he is still a gem. Whenever I ask him does he love me, he always says yes. And when I ask him why, he tells me because he loves me. At first, I wanted to grill him more for the reason why he loves me. He just smiles at me and says, "Hindi ko ma-explain eh basta love kita". I would then feel bad because there was no effort in his answer. Now, through the years, I have come to realize that love indeed can't be explained. How can you explain the love of a mother to an adopted daughter? How can you explain the love friends share? So now whenever I ask my husband why he loves me, and he answers the same thing, I smile because I just got a scoop of my chicken soup.

Novena to the Santo Niño

With the cold weather still around, our Matthew got the worse case of flu. He actually got it from me because I had a stuffy nose all week. Blame it also to the airconditoning in our room that was fixed recently and was given a new dose of Freon. Matthew had a hard time breathing and was very irritable. He couldn't sleep and even couldn't appreciate his 'mimi" (milk).

We were all worried. My mom was constantly asking for updates regarding his condition. Matthew, on the other hand, acted like he wasn't sick. He jumped gleefully on our bed. We were then asked by my mom to go on a novena to Santo Niño which was the first day today. In just minutes, we headed off to our parish church.

Novenas are prayers being said for nine (9) consecutive days with specific intentions being made. As for me, this novena is defintely for the health of my son. The feast of the Santo Niño is celebrated on the third Sunday of January, which makes it on January 21.

If you have special intentions, pray this novena.

United Chorus Girls

December 30 Forever! Yan ang battle cry naming 'chorus girls', the term I use to refer to my college barkada: Tina, Libet, Liezel, Emma and Mox. 'Yan ang arrangement namin sa classroom noon. I go after Tina.

Those were the days when I was still skinny, as in patpatin, with long straight hair. Si Tina lang ata ang hindi tumaba. Si Liezel mas pumayat.

Recently we had our annual prayer meeting (?!) slash christmas get2gether slash chismis updating at Greenbelt 3 ala Cafe Breton. I was the last one to arrive as I had to ensure that my Matthew will be in good hands (his ninong Mike took over my parental rights for the meantime). Everybody was there eating seriously that not one of them noticed I had passed by already (ganun ha!). But when I eventually saw them, how I missed my friends. It has been months that we haven't seen each other.

The talk was the best part of all as we took turns in grinding each other (kawawa si Liezel hehe). After dinner and after a few pics here and there, we all headed to Music 21 at Jupiter St for a much needed singing stress reliever. Well of course, Emma was the only one with the legit singing voice; I, on the the other hand, just enjoyed my kapal mukha singing voice haha...but it was all worth it. I had a blast!

Check out more pics of the event

2007...Here we come!

Happy New Year to everyone! Another year has passed and we're entering the realm of the Fire Pig. But before that, I want to take a moment and remember what spectacular things happpend during the Year of the Fire Dog...

Babies! Lots of Babies! I have never seen a year that produced a number of babies (that is of course referring to my circle of influence - family and friends): Craig Duncan Amador, May 10; France Gabriel Concepcion, June 10; Sophia Gabrielle Orozco, July 28; Irka Virlyn Getalado, August 14; Yasha Lian Gonzales, August 17; and Reanne Faith Chan, October 25.
As for my Matthew, here are his firsts for 2006: first professional haircut (jan 15); attended first kiddie party (feb 25); received first watch (mar 12); first visita iglesia (apr 13); learned to climb and go down the bed (apr 18); received his first basketball (apr 21); first "abay" stint as bible bearer (may 8); first drank juice thru a straw (may 8); first drank water from glass (may 16); first trip to batangas (jul 18); attended party in an elf constume (sept 2); first spoke the word "daddy" very clearlt (oct 23); and first won in a contest (nov 14).

Now back to the baboy, new years resolution anyone? nah...

Wishes? Yes most certainly! Health for my two babies; and spiritual growth for me and my hubby!

For family and friends, all the happiness in the world!