The one with milk tea

Ever since my brother in law's milk tea shop opened, we've been frequenting it at least twice a week and i think the carbs from the milk tea (even if it's sugar free) contributed to my weight gain. hahaha. yeah right, i have to look for a reason as where to put the blame to. hahaha.  I really have to watch my weight again and even micrometers of sugar intake matter now.  I hope I'd be able to get back to my routine and somehow find my way to losing that last 10 lbs or so.

I hope it will happen before I get pregnant again. :)

The one with gardening

One of the things I can say I'm not good at is maybe gardening (haha, and i sound like i'm so proud of it)  Simon, on the other hand, looks like he has a green thumb everytime he tries to grow a plant, or even a crop.  One time, i bought these indoor garden plants and after several days, all of them just withered. hahaha.  Simon bought a couple of seeds for backyard vegetable gardening and he grew most of them after several weeks.  Our then neighbor gave him a vinedrop-growing plant (like the ones you see in garden venues) and he just put it somewhere near the mango tree and it just grew so well (so well it looked like we had a forest in our front yard. hahaha.

But you'd have to be proud of me, i was the one who reminded him to bring all our potted plants and take it with us to vista verde, so he could let it grow well. :)

The one with foosball

My man has to be rewarded once in a while for being a very good provider.  And his last reward ws a table top foosball game! I also thought it was a good buy, a really good one.  It would actually make it to top in gifts for your boyfriend or your husband.  I love how heavy duty it is and how much discount we got from it.  HMR is really the place to be. hahaha.

Congrats beh on your new toy. I hope you'd let me win some time. ;)

The one with business idea

I love spending time with friends who share a common passion with me...business! And it was such a delight everytime i'm with Concon.  I love it whenever we talk about things we love and we share sentiments with -- motherhood, family and business.  I got excited talking about a business idea.  I can't disclose it yet but i'm praying for it and making draft computations if things pan out well.  (and i hope it will!)

Surround yourself with good people and good things will come your way.  Maybe next time, I'd be blogging about builing an arch steel building where i can have tenants for commercial and industrial space leasing...it's an ultimate dream hoping to come true in God's time. :)

The one with frames

I'd cut our vacation story and go back to blog about house decorating tips we've been doing lately.  One big mistake i made while we were packing things was that i did'nt wrap the picture frames with newspaper or those bubble plastic wraps commonly used for wrapping fragile items.  I found out i broke our lamp and two personalized baby picture frames, one of which was given to Simone during her first birthday.  Good thing i was able to remove the glass and just framed it again without the glass.  It's a bit weird to look at but it's the only way i can do so i can use it still.

Oh well, now at least i have a reason to open the box of my unused frames in the house.  I don't know why i keep on buying frames without even knowing where i could actually use them. hahaha.

The one with pool and other facilities

Canyon Cove has a big, big pool for both kids and adults.  My daughter loves the water so much, she did'nt mind staying on the adult pool.  I'm not sure though if they have these hayward salt cell you put in swimming pools but the water is really clear and obviously well maintained.  The benches and tan beds are limited though for the number of guests currently checked in during our stay.  I also love the big trees situated in the center of the pool. so pictureque. ;)

There's also a gym and a couple of playgrounds in the resort but we did'nt use any of those as we came there solely to swim, eat, swim, sleep and yet again. hahaha.

Canyon Cove has only one restaurant in the resort.  You can't bring in other food inside the resort.  I found their food pricey so during our stay there, we had to go out everytime we needed to eat.  (except for the free breakfast that came in with the voucher).  Good thing, a five-minute ride can get you to Jollibee, Mang Inasal, Chowking and several fastfood restaurants. :)  Our dads looove to eat and I'm so happy to see them eat to their hearts' content (well, with their wives tapping them and giving them the "stop-eating-look" every now and then, hahaha)

More stories again.  Apologies for writing this part by part.

The one with the vacation kwento (hotel and resort)

I almost forgot to share in detail of how our vacation went.  Let me share with you a detailed review of how our canyon cove vacation was.

Canyon Cove:  got an Ensogo voucher for 3200 per night.  A voucher is an overnight stay at Canyon Cove, with one hour free kayaing or snorkeling and set breakfast.  Buying it in ensogo was a breeze.  As long as you're  a member and you have a credit card or paypal, you can easily purchase one.  In my previous post, I shared that the second time i saw the promo, I told Simon that i cannot let it pass.  I really need to purchase the vouchers and include our parents on the vacation.  Good thing, my husband was considerate of how i feel (you know wanting to treat your parents whenever you can) and just enjoy a good family time. 

Canyon Cove is a great place for land-trip getaways.  It's a plus point that you don't have to ride a plane just to get there. :)  The room is really spacious.  The two twin beds and a semi sofa bed is a good deal.  The veranda overlooking the beach is a steal.  I love it!

Their service was okay.  Although their staff being undermanned was true during our stay there.  The first day we had to eat breakfast,  a lot of guests had to help themselves just to get what they needed.  Most of the tables were not yet cleared, thus, guests themselves had to clear the tables just so they can eat and dine.  It was a sweet surprise though that our set breakfast was turned to a buffet breakfast.  I guess no one was able to monitor the coupons and serve the set breakfasts that's why they decided to just make it buffet for everyone :)

I give them plus points for making up the room fast and early.  When we returned from our breakfast, I was surprised to see made up beds already with a new supply of tissues and toiletries. yey!

The beach is fine.  I thought it was more on the pebble side though and not the white fine sand you see in Bohol and Boracay.  But it was good.  I love the water, very clear.  Although a bit rocky though while on the water.    It's a small stretch only but at least it felt exclusive that only the guests in the hotel can stay.

Kayak is okay.  I was a bit terrified with the depth of the water and asked my husband to bring me to shore immediately. hahaha.  Our fathers loved the kayak and they had like two rounds of it.  The mothers, on the other hand, rode on the kayak just for photo opp purposes. hahaha.

They were also able to give us tan towel and beach towels everytime we'd dip in the pool or the beach.  And for that, another plus point. :) 

I just hope their lobby is airconditioned, but at least the lobby was pleasant enough to welcome you.

More stories and ratings to follow. 

The one with mother's day

I had to work during mother's day but good thing, we only had lunch parties that day.  I was so excited to finish my events and have the rest of the day to spend with my family.  After our events, I hurriedly went home and picked up Simone and my mom so we can go to church and attend service. 

It's nice to have a holiday just for the moms.  I mean, it's a good time to appreciate the mom that you are, your own mother and mom in law, your friends who are moms as well and just enjoy the blessing of motherhood.  I would love to be a mother of two kids but I know God will give it in His perfect time :)

Anyway, while trying to think of gifts for mom on her day, we just deided to hand them over a measly budget for any "me time" they can sneak into like a visit to the salon or a pair of nice shoes or a purse.  haha, notice the OR coz the budget can only afford them to purchase one item. hahaha. it's the thought that counts ;)

Happy mother's day everyone! Better late than never :)

The one with moving in tips

Since we just moved, I'd like to share some practical tips on how you can be more efficient in moving.

1.  Since we are moving to a smaller house, while packing, I already started segregating things in three categories: a) things that will be used at home b) things that are for selling or disposal c) things that can be used in the future but should be put in the storage room at the moment

2.  It's good that we have a spacious storage room (basement) and all our things easily fit in there.  But in order to be effective in storing items in the storage room, make sure that you properly label all boxes.  I'm anxious about the rains and possible floods in the basement in the future, that's why i need to buy more plastic iBoxes for all our items.

3.  Don't be too sentimental while packing and you won't be able to dispose things that are needed to be disposed.  hahaha.

4.  When I applied the 6-month rule in clothing segregation, I think i was able to half empty my cabinet. haha.  The rule is simple.  What you have'nt worn in 6 months or more, store it or dispose it immediately because chances are, you won't be able to use it again in the near future.

5.  It's good to experiment on how you put furniture around the house.  The log furniture like dining table fits perfectly in front of the ref and an arm length away from the kitchen. :)

Now that we're done with packing things, i hope we can move on with micro-managing thing at home like organizing my desk and the cabinets.

The one with everything here

While we're on the topic of us moving to another house, I'd like to share how God has made it easy for us to adjust living here.  I mean, the neighborhood is so quiet.  The village is more exclusive to its homeowners, there's a commercial center by the gate that literally has everything you need, whether hardware items, fruits and meat, vegetables, and even office and school supplies.  There are also a couple of salons and spa (which by the way has spa covers on their tables too).  You may not want to go out of the village anymore.

I just hope when the rainy season starts, the flood would be tolerable.  I know this place is prone to floods and I hope we can get by with just ankle-deep floods the most. haha. we'll cross the bridge when we get there.

The one with breakfast nook

I love our new house as we've found a place where we can have our breakfast everyday.  The house has a small terrace where you can put patio tables on and a couple of wooden chairs and you canenjoy your breakfast there.  This morning, the husband and I had breakfast there and we were thinking of putting a small plant on the table so it will have a more greenery effect.  It's nice to immeditely find a place where we can enjoy some quiet time during breakfast and Bible reding after.

PS. as of this writing, i'm here on the terrace enjoying a beautiful evening with my daughter. :)

The one with kid number 2

I think it's okay to talk about in this blog that we're trying to have another baby since late last year.  I've been getting mixed emotions towards the fact of having another baby.  there's excitement, fear, thrill and so much more other emotions happening at one time.  And it does'nt help as well that every month, everytime i buy a kit, i'd get a single line.  Oh well, all in God's time.  I'm still not that keen on trying pills that can help us get pregnant like pills for me and testosterone pills for Simon.  I just feel that if it will happen, it will happen in perfect time and God's will. :)

The one with financial talk

Now we're talking business here, I just had to share that i attended a talk about financial handling by none other than Chinkee Tan himself.  He's very inspiring!!! And i'm so encouraged to always save, always find ways to be productive.  One of the most important things i learned is that it's not about how much you earn but how much you save.  And it's really true.  Unless you don't know how to save, even if you're earning a lot but don't wanna save, i don't think you'd get far.

I've always loved to sell products and I'm hoping i'd be able to find that one product that i can sell easily and probably it will be something i love.  Right now, it could be anything. It may be food, bags, shoes, I can even sell the items i see in arginmax reviews, haha. 

I'll update you soon and see where things will go from here.  I really want to have another business and I pray that God will grant me with one :)

The one with new businesses

I'm so happy, our family is a family of business-minded people.  I got so thrilled when my mom decided to start a burger cart where she cooked the homemade burger patties herself.  It's exciting that she still wants to be productive and i totally support her.  I just wish she has this nice sunbrella umbrella to go with her burger cart.  It would make her cart more classy to look at and I'm sure she'll be more protected from the sun.

Next new business that we have in our family is twittea.  I love it because it's milk tea. His new shop is in Cainta.  We frequent the place too and we held our May thanksgiving dinner in his milk tea shop. Yey.

Loving all the businesses, I hope there are more to come. :) Thank you Lord for showering us with your blessings and grace.

The one with serious game

Megamall's 3-day sale started yesterday and will end on sunday.  While I was strolling in megamall, I found these nice educa puzzle and some huge discounted decors that i can use in my parties.  I also saw these wooden picket fence that i can use in my garden themed party but thought it's a little expensive so i decided to forego buying it.

You know store sales are really serious games you'd have to be prepared for always.  You need to think straight, weigh the pro's and con's of buying something and decide in like 5 minutes after you saw the item.  Time is gold in this game. hahaha

Oh well, i ended buying the things i only need and i'm so happy with my buys :) (whew, no impulse buy!)

The one with house repair

Ok, so now that we are transferring to another house, the house we got of course is not a new one. (gosh im so excited to move to our new house in pasig) and needless to say, i've mentally written down things we need to repair in the house and one of those is the garage floor tiles.  The garage needs a little repair but the kitchen roof is the most immediate need we need to consider.  And i'm also having a hard time as to what room to choose as the master's bedroom. waah.

Goodluck to us...really...

The one with movers and packers

The last word sounded odd, haha. but i'm just glad that we were able to hire extra househelp to help us pack our things as we move out of our current house.  waah, things are turning around so fast.  Last week, i just came from a vacation and now i have to pack our things and move to a house to stay in temporarily until our house in pasig is done. I did'nt expect any of this coming and i conditioned myself not to stress myself much as i have events i need to attend to this weekend.  So the solution:  hire people who can pack for you and unpack, clean the house and take care of everything for you.  It really comes in handy when there are people who can help you with this, like all i need to think is where the tv mounts will go or what items to throw, keep and sell. It makes my life much easier.

I hope this moving in will be over soon and i hope the house we're gonna stay with won't give us problems.

The one with 32nd bday

The Husband's birthdays are always celebrated with effort.  It's an advantage that his birthday falls the day before labor day and he grew up with birthdays celebrated either on a beach or a swimming pool (in time for their yearly family outing).  So with that said, every year, i'm also a little pressured to throw him a party that he will sure to enjoy.  This year, we celebrated it three ways, haha.  One was the videoke night with church friends.  It was a joint celebration of Brian and Simon's birthdays. Second was our family outing with our parents where my dad also celebrated his 60th birthday.  And lastly, was our simple dinner with his family and my parents at Twittea (my brother in law's new milk tea shop). 


And now after the three-part celeb, i'm scared to weigh in the scales. I'm so sure I gained weight...Waaah!!!

Here are some pics from the videoke night since i already posted some vacation pics on my previous post:

 the birthday boys -- simon and brian

 pretty girls

 parang long-legged ako dito kung maka-cross leg ha. haha.

fun, fun!

The one with moving out

It was sudden.  After we got back from our vacation, I read a message from our ninang about someone buying the house already that we are currently renting here in golden city.  Oh my. that would mean finding a place to stay until the house we bought in Pasig is done and that's like 6 months leasing only which is a lease that most landlords won't agree with.

But luckily, we found a place in vista verde where the landlord agreed with our short-term lease. yey. So officially today, we they have started packing up and retained the things that we use often.  It's amazing how quick 3 people do it.  I mean, they swiped out our house and packed most of our things in one day.  haha. And i would not really dare take credit for it coz i have'nt really done anything yet. My mind is still with the parties for the weekend so i'm not so much thinking of where to place things just yet.  Maybe on sunday, after my event, i'll start helping out.

While I was watching them clean out our cabinet, i was surprised to see a lot of clothes that i'm not even aware of.  Like the discount scrubs i bought without knowing when and where i'd use it.  Several shoes i have not worn ever and more clothes i bought but have not been worn at all.  I know, i know, there's a term for my condition, haha. but when we move in to the house, i'd really sort things out and see what we can sell during our garage sale.  Maybe i'd be able to save for a cute purse. hahaha.

The one with summer pics

So far, our summer has been one memorable time for me and my family. :) The vacation in canyon cove was so fun and exciting.  I just love spending time with our parents...really.  Everytime i'd look on travel promos, i'd always compute a family of 6 adults and 1 kid.  It has always been like that.  And i'm so grateful that my husband shares with my desire to treat our parents whenever we can.  I'd always think, "nobody will do it for them but us, their kids" or "when are we going to do this? when they're old and gray and can barely walk".  I also believe that our blessings are meant to be shared for others, specially to our family.  We save but I'd like to invest on good family time as much as we can.

And to cut the emoticon person in me, here's a bunch of our pics from our vacation :)

 yes naman, showing off...kala mo naman kung sinong sexy. hahaha

 kayaking sa shore. hahaha

 eto talaga water baby ...never gets tired of water.

 the tans

 the fermins

 priceless moment

 my beautiful mom :)

 husband feeling coco martin

 gabi na swimming pa din haha

popsy so happy with breakfast buffet :)

I''ll post a separate review and kwentos of our stay there :)