The one with disneyland

On top of the busy schedule for events, moving in to our new home, we are preparing for a hongkong trip next week.  I'm looking forward to spending quality/vacation time with my husband and daughter, take a couple of days off and just bond with my family.  I don't know though if we'll have time to shop since we alloted two days for disneyland and the other two days to stroll just around the city. We also hope we can buy a pearl boom box cajon at guitar center just like the last time we went there. :)

I'll post pics soon! :)

The one with studio

since we are in the process of moving in to our new house, we decided to transform one of the rooms into our office/studio.  My husband sorted out his instruments and decided to sell those he does'nt need that much.  He found this excellent krank amps at musicians friend and asked if he can use it to put in his studio.  It's really tiring but it's so much fun.  I'm excited to see how it will turn out. :)

Thank you Lord for the blessings.

The one with Yolanda

Visayas has been hit by super typhoon Yolanda and the aftermath is huge.  I cannot describe it, cannot fathom how big the effect was but if we can help, let us do so in whatever way we can. 

God is stronger and bigger than this.

The one with instrument furniture

We don't have a specific theme for the house but since my husband is a musician, we want to make sure that our house can reflect that description and side of us.  We upcycled our bass drum and made it to centertable.  We also used a part of his first keyboard as part of the gallery.  I hope we'd be able to keep up with our theme and decors around the house, maybe a flutophone next time?  :)

Soo exciting!

The one with home ideas

As i said before, we are getting busy and in full blast with our house finishing.  We are now in the process of building the dirty kitchen.  It's extra hard now because we don't have a foreman to help us.  We buy the materials ourselves, go to the site everyday to make sure they finish on time.  I just hope we can move in there before december.  We are just so excited. I want to post some pics but i don't have them right now so let me post some pics i found nice. :) here are some space-saving ideas.

i want this at the back of the main door.

the husband drew this to transform our office cabinet to my office. im just so excited! yihee!

The one with hopefully for good

I know, i know! i'm just so ashamed i have'nt been able to maintain this blog. I have a LOT of things on hand now, it feels like i'm moving like a robot, with everyday and unending list of things to do. it just doesn't stop. Anyway, just for a welcome back blog post, let me share a parenting tip on how we, as mothers, should talk to our daughters about her body. I got this from a blog, you can check her blog as well. How to talk to your daughter about her body. Step one: don’t talk to your daughter about her body, except to teach her how it works. Don’t say anything if she’s lost weight. Don’t say anything if she’s gained weight. If you think your daughter’s body looks amazing, don’t say that. Here are some things you can say instead: “you look healthy!” is a great one. Or how about, “you’re looking strong.” “I can see how happy you are – you’re glowing.” Better yet, compliment her on something that has nothing to do with her body. Don’t comment on other woman’s bodies either. Nope. Not a single comment, not a nice one or a mean one. Teach her about kindness towards others, but also kindness towards yourself. Don’t you dare talk about how much you hate your body in front of your daughter, or talk about your new diet. In fact, don’t go on a diet in front of your daughter. Buy healthy food. Cook healthy meals. But don’t say “I’m not eating carbs right now.” Your daughter should never think that carbs are evil, because shame over what you eat only leads to shame about yourself. Encourage your daughter to run because it makes her feel less stressed. Encourage your daughter to climb mountains because there is nowhere better to explore your spirituality than the peak of the universe. Encourage your daughter to surf, or rock climb, or mountain bike because it scares her and that’s a good thing sometimes. Help your daughter love soccer or rowing or hockey because sports make her a better leader and a more confident woman. Explain that no matter how old you get, you’ll never stop needing good teamwork. Never make her play a sport she isn’t absolutely in love with. Prove to your daughter that women don’t need men to move furniture. Teach your daughter how to cook kale. Teach your daughter how to bake chocolate cake made with six sticks of butter. Pass on your Mom’s recipe for Christmas morning coffee cake. Pass on your love being outside. Maybe you and your daughter both have thick thighs or wide ribcages. It’s easy to hate these non-size zero body parts. Don’t. Tell your daughter that with her legs she can run a marathon if she wants to, and her ribcage is nothing but a carrying case for strong lungs. She can scream and she can lift up the world, if she wants. Remind your daughter that the best thing she can do with her body is to use it to mobilize her beautiful soul.

The one with breastfeeding month

August is breastfeeding month too! Yay! And since i have a lot of friends who are breastfeeding counselors/advocates, indulge me with promoting their event tomorrow.

see you there!!!

The one with music in our blood

I'm so blessed that our family is a family of musicians, singers and artists...and they're not just musicians...they're good at what they do. They are gifted musicians (haha, got to love your own!) And so when i saw a bass clarinet at musicians friend, i wondered if any of my family members can play it. they can easily adapt to learning something new and i'm sure it will not give them a hard time. I wonder what musical instrument simone will learn in the future???

The one with birthday month and christmas feeling

It's my birthday month this august!!! wohoo!!! I'll be changing the age on the left part of this blog again...ugh! haha. but i'm grateful for the 34 years of my life. i'm blessed. And after my birthday, Chrismas air is just around the corner. Wow, time flies really fast..as in! Before you know it, you'd be shopping again at radko from christmasplace and wrap some gifts again for family and friends. i love it! Sooo excited for my favorite season of the year! and super excited for our Hongkong trip too! wohoo!!!

The one with Simone's painting lessons

Simone has always been in love with crafts and paintings. So we decided to ask someone to go to our house once a week and teach simone the basic strokes and techniques in painting. I think it will be more beneficial for her as she will be guided accordingly as to what brushes to use or what to do when painting. If it's just me, nothing will happen as admittedly, im not good in painting. haha. Here are here pics from her first day with kuya marvin:

The one with dream vacation

I was browsing online deals and was actually surprised at how affordable vacations are now. there are like P9k deals with airfare and hotel accommodations included. Soo sweet! But I really have to say that my most ambitious dream vacation will be a trip to europe. I'd love to stay on one of those luxury paris vacation rentals and just enjoy eiffel, strolling around the country and shop. I heard LV stores there are huge! Someday...somehow... :) in the meantime, asian travels are not bad at all. haha ;)

The one with Uniwide sale

It's been ages since i last stepped on a Uniwide warehouse. Back then, there was a Uniwide branch near our place. I always remember going there with big smiles thinking that i'd be able to buy something with a very good deal. I've always loved good deals and I always enjoy doing it in this warehouse. So to cut the long story short, when i went there last weekend, I intentionally stopped myself from buying a lot of things. I needed to control my purchases as we are trying to declutter but going to Uniwide will not help in doing any of my plans. I was able to buy plates, ikea pot holders, coin banks, owl figurines, etc. :) Here are some pictures of the place

The one with small reunion

My husband has a group of friends since childhood. These friends are musicians as well. One of his friends, Dino, migrated to Los Angeles ten years ago and he went home because his mom passed away and had to hold a service here in Manila as well. Dino accepted his mom's passing already that's why he did'nt have a hard time with it. They even scheduled a jamming session just like the last time he was here four years where they stayed at my brother in law's studio. The equipments here are really high end. You can't find any cheap audio technica microphones at musicians friend because everything is well chosen and of high quality. They recorded their jamming session. It was nice seeing you again Dino. :)

The one with almost done!

Okay...what's up with our family??? A big development as we are soon moving to our new nest! yay! Praise God for all His provisions. We've been busy visiting the house and making sure that it will be done this month. We've suddenly been addicted to furnitures, interior design and appliances. I've been cheating on fashion for furniture. We love the details, even the wing knobs have to be well thought of. and hopefully we won't just settle for something just because we don't have budget anymore. hahaha. And i'm loving every moment of it. Here are some pics of our nest.

The one with branding of a work at home woman

Saw this article. a good read :) 3 Tips to Discovering Your Brand as a Work at Home Woman Tags: Brand, Branding, Business, Discovering Our Brand, Martine de Luna, Personal Brand, The Work at Home Woman, Work at Home Women Posted in Marketing & PR 2 Comments » By Martine de Luna Building a personal brand is something I sort of “fell into” or did “by accident.” It was sometime last year that I realized this, over lunch with a chic and acclaimed, couture bridal designer here in my country. Looking at my blog, she quipped, “You don’t just have a blog; you don’t just write; I can see you have built a brand.” By this, she meant two things: One, that I had grown my blog to a certain level of influence and that it became synonymous with certain qualities. Two, that I had developed enough of an online presence, so that people could identify me as a kind of “go-to girl” if they wanted to start a blog, or build a website, and my blog as a “hub” for women who loved working from home. We All Are Our Own Brands: Like I said: I did all this unintentionally; it sort of just happened. That’s the thing with being a brand: it’s who you already are, and the emotional connections people have with you when they think about you. You don’t fake it; it’s not a put-on. As work at home women, we each are our unique brand. The question is, do we know what our brand is? And if we do, how are we going to leverage our personal towards our business or freelancing? 3 Tips to Discovering Your Brand as a Work at Home Woman: Your brand — the way your existing and potential customers see you — is directly aligned with what you are known for. It’s worth it to delve deeper into your brand, so that you can gain insight into the services you provide (like if you’re a virtual assistant) and the products you sell (if you’re a product-based business owner). Here’s how to know what your brand is, and how to leverage your brand towards your success. 1. Discover Your Brand, if You Haven’t Already. One of the best ways to find out more about your personal brand is to ask people: existing clients, potential customers, even friends or family. What do people say about you when you’re not around? What do people perceive about you? These findings are all related to your brand. You can use these to work on your brand, to improve your personality, and even make a few changes, if needed. You can use guide questions to help you along this act of discovery. For instance, ask yourself: What do people associate me with? What am I known for? What do I bring to the world? What comes to people’s minds when they hear my name? For instance, when someone hears “Holly Hanna”, they associate it with The Work at Home Woman, with Holly’s platform as an expert in the work-at-home lifestyle. In your case, what do people associate your name, your services, or your business with? Use this to help you understand your brand. 2. Create a Definition for Yourself. When you know a bit more about how people perceive you, as well as your work, your services, try to create a definition for it. This is much like a “company vision” or mission statement. Business coach Jess Lively (who helped me to further refine my brand) recommends that business owners or solopreneurs imbibe their “purpose equation.” This is essentially the result of two key elements: your unique gifts + helping people = your purpose equation. As work at home women, this is something we naturally imbibe, but have likely never clearly defined in our work or business. What is your purpose equation? For me, it’s “to provide creative business solutions that help small businesses thrive,” because that’s what I am known for and what I excel at. What could be yours? Define it, and let that give you clarity. 3. Craft a Brand Identity. Once you decide you want to establish and build your brand, it is wise to invest in a brand identity, or the visual elements of a brand. Many work at home women — especially those that offer professional services, or have a business — invest in a professional logo and photography. A great photo, even on your About page, is key to personal brand recognition. These visual elements of your brand should be seen across your website and social media profiles. Your photo should accompany everything from your author bio, even your email signatures. This way, your clients and potential customers easily recognize you, wherever your “brand” follows you. Investing in a brand identity, however, takes a lot of time and clarity. Spend time developing these visual elements of your brand, because they will represent you, your values, your brand promise. These are just some basic steps to discovering and defining your brand. Having a brand can really help give you clarity about your ideal customer or client, so that you can refine your offerings and really work with the people who are perfect for you. Finally, branding is never a “once-over” process. Your brand evolves as your offerings evolve, even as you evolve. Knowing and understanding your personal brand is really about bringing the heart and soul of who you are as a work at home woman into your business, into your unique work ethic. Most of all, it can give you the satisfaction of knowing that you are fulfilling a unique purpose, based on your natural gifts and skills. Have you started building your personal brand online yet? Have you ever even thought about what your brand is or might be? Let’s talk about it in the comments. Martine de Luna is the director of The WAHMderful Life, an inspirational business suite comprising a blog and live training events for work-at-homemakers. The WAHMderful Life blog and workshops are designed to inspire and equip mothers and married women to work from home, profitably and with intention. Martine began working from home as a freelance copywriter, and eventually ventured into blogging; her lifestyle blog, DaintyMom.com, has received accolades internationally, including an award for Best Home and Parenting Blog at the 2011 Philippine Blog Awards. Today, Martine runs a boutique consulting service, which offers mentoring for mom bloggers and work-at-home women. She also conducts writing workshops for women, writes marketing and communications copy for for small-to-medium businesses, and offers web design services for SMEs. Connect with her at Martine de Luna Creative Services and the WAHMderful Life website.

The one with open letter to my gradeschooler

Dear Simone, I could not believe that time is like a bullet train with you. Cliche but true. And now that you're in grade school already, i thought i'd handle it well and think that it's just grade school...I was wrong. I can say the first six years with you was really an adventure. You were not high maintenance as a baby but i vividly remember how cute your cheeks were, how hard it was for you at times to poop, and how much you loved to sleep on my chest. I thought it was the hardest part of my life, having to give birth to you but since i had no choice, (i had to do it anyway) I realized what harder challenge can i get after this. I found the answer the first time you got sick. We were in puerto galera. it was the first time i had to leave you for 2 days. your dad and i felt we needed a breather but we were hesitant to tag you along since you were just over a year old. When i found out you got a fever that same night, i knew i was'nt meant to leave you alone. I went back first thing in the morning and rushed you to the hospital. It was the biggest mistake i made, having to leave you just so i could relax for a while. after that anak, i never left you. wherever i go, I can only have peace of mind if you're with me. Six years forward, I'm sending you to your school. First day was a breeze since you were just out for 3 hours. 2nd day, i found myself crying having to see you looking for your assignment notebook in your big, big bag. and i thought to myself if i should go inside and help you find it. When after a few seconds, you found it, that was my moment. You're really trying to do things on your own...without me :( when i told the story to my husband, i cried. I cried because it's just too fast. I hope there's a slow motion button so i could cherish each day with you. Thank you anak for everything. thank you for being you. thank you that we've come to know faith and love because of you. :)

The one with officially missing you

I'm officially missing my blog and i never realized how much i do up until i started scanning my previous posts and thought that this blog is really my life journal of events and it would be such a waste if i stop updating it. So from now on, i'd be more serious in blogging again. Highlights of my life for 2013 ~ Simone is a gradeschooler already. a separate post on that one ~ Really enjoyed summer vacation with the grannies. went back to canyon cove :) love love love! ~ My brother in law, Jayson, left for Riyadh already. super heartbreaking but i salute them for the sacrifice they had to do. ~ Got a new car for simon, hehe. A Mirage. so prooud of you beh. you deserve it :) ~ Underwent D and C last Feb. It was not yet time.. All in God's time. promise to post more pics and stories soon. see you around!

The one with online shopping

My new hobby -- online shopping! Got hooked with the online buying sites but i make sure that i check their seller's official website first to know more about their deals, if it's really on sale or not. There's this store of swimwears, profile by gottex swimsuits, where i can purchase any size or color but the thing though since im not base in US i can't buy it but the items would have been really great on me. :)

The one with business requirements

When handling businesses, one thing that eats time from my schedule is getting requirements done, specially logistics-wise. I'm due for replenishing items in Partyboosters. I also wanted to check if i can start on making carpentry and crafty items for the business like the letter stands i so wanted to do for the longest time, and also the wooden fence i so wanted to start with. I also need to finish printing business cards or maybe just order some again. hahaha, have lots of things to do, have'nt started with anything yet.

The one with churchgoer again

I'm so happy my brother after more than a decade of being absent in church has finally decided to attend service again and i came with him. was so happy to see my brother going back and attending church again, reconnecting with God. I don't know what made him realize to go back to church but it was really an answered prayer. I also wanted to commend him for being able to quit smoking in an impulse. He won't be one of those guys going to a leaf cigar bar and i hope there'd be more good changes to see. love you bro! :)

The one with yoga regimen

Laely, i've been feeling that i'm on my heavy side once again that's why i tried surfing the net for some activities i can try. I inquired for some yoga sessions near our place. They say it will make you more lean and give you more strength. i just hope it won't be as expensive as i thought it is. Just the yoga accessories towel is a little pricey, as well as the mat but gym has made me a more bulky so i really wan to try this one. hope it goes well :)

The one with canyon cove 2013

super fun filled summer outing with the grandparents. :) thank you Lord for all the blessings.

The one with partyboosters summer outing

We had our recent partyboosters summer outing in a clubhouse in village east. We had a night swimming. it was so much fun having to spend time with our team, get to enjoy the evening breeze and water. It was also a bonus that the pool lights were pretty cool. It was really well maintained and it was really big for a clubhouse pool. :) It looked like Jandy pool lights in other premiere hotel pools. Hope next time we'd be able to spend our outing on a beach resort. hehe

The one with bike hobby

It's been months since my husband has been checking some bikes so that he'll have something to use for when buying things in the store, or for some exercise. A japanese bike is nice too and we some some in a japan surplus store but had second thoughts coz i'm not sure if those are the nicest ones.  I have yet to check the yakima rack, if there's something we can buy.  I hope i'd get the hang of it as well. :)

The one with Gumbo night

We are into trying out new restaurants these days.  You'd be surprised to see that the restaurants that you think are pricey have reasonable rates too.  Rather than eating in the usual restaurants we go to, we want our dining experience to be more exciting.  Last night, we went to Gumbo. ive eaten here before but not really often.  And best of all, they have  a promo.  Buy one, take one on main entrees, pasta, pizza, salads. (everything except appetizers) soo happy! we ordered USDA steak and chicken. With 495, you get to enjoy this along with two side dishes.  so technically, it's like ordering one entree for half the price. :)

The one with saving up

One thing I'm proud of my mom is how she taught us how to save, even in small things.  I realize that all of us siblings store this big bottle of water where we put coins in there whenever we come home from work.  I saw my brother's water bottle money banks and i got so excited that we have the same "banks".  I taught Simone this habit of putting extra money in coin banks, and i can see that she has gotten used to it already. :)

The one with holy week 2013

I had a very meaningful and fun holy week this year.  Simon took the rest of his paternity leave and started his vacation since Monday.  It was one whole week of family time.  We checked in at Linden Suites on a Maundy Thursday, then enjoyed our swimming, breakfast in the morning.  Then I also had a good girl time with several church mates.  We had so much fun talking about love life, family, our concerns.  It feels refreshed to be updated with each other's lives.  Then Saturday, we went to see a movie of John Lloyd and Sarah's. really really fun! and of course, Sunday is easter sunday! thank you Lord for everything.  before the holiday started, i also tried to complete my SSS requirements and SSS replacement. I'm so happy I was able to finish it, i wanted to check if i can also find online print solutions at eoncode.com but did'nt find any. Was trying to check if i can actually make some brochures if ever for Partyboosters.

Productive. fun. memorable. = holy week 2013  

The one with newsletter

So while having coffee with my friend Naan, we talked about he new job, my business, our new business ventures, and strategies or marketing techniques that we can do.  Since she's currently employed to an online company, she suggested a website where i can have make a newsletter of partyboosters. It's paper.li. We tried going to the site and i'm impressed. I might really want to try it and maybe it will be lie a brochure printing online too. :)

The one with garage sale online

I have a new pasttime...selling and buying stuffs online.  I'm a member of n@w, it's a closed online group of wives and/or moms who basically share the same roles in life. We formed an online garage sale, that instead of doing a physical garage sale, we post everything we want to sell online, describe it, explain mode of payment.  The first to say "mine" gets the item. it's that simple.

As of this writing, I'm waiting for a Lacoste bag to be uploaded. hahaha. I hope I won't get admitted to a rehab program for this, like one of those California rehab centers. hahaha.

I hope I get to say "Mine" today. :)

The one with addl battery

Everytime i have a new phone, the one thing i would always find myself is looking for an extra battery.  It's a little frustrating when your battery fails you, even on a camera, a phone or any gadget for that matter.  Like during simone's moving up day, I was all set to take pictures only to find out that i wasn't able to charge the camera so after a few shots, the camera turned off by itself.  I should have bought a maha powerex mh-c9000 so i can enjoy longer life for our batteries. It also usually happens to my phone batteries and ipad. hmmm, i really need to find a way to make my gadget's battery life stay longer. :)

The one with summer filled activities

I want to make Simone's summe uber fun this time. So i started by applying her here:

just fill up the application form, pay P550 as workshop fee, choose you schedule and that's it.  I chose April 8-12 for her, 1-3 pm schedule. She's excited already and wants to work immediately. hahaha. Good luch Mcdo!!!

I'm also interested in enrolling her to a painting workshop. So far, i have two choices, Sip and Gogh in Capitol Hills and Fernano Sena's workshop. I have both of their schedules already, just checking which one will be better for Simone.

And last week of April, we'll go back to Canyon Cove with our parents for some swimming and recreation time.

We're all excited!

The one with Kimberly Hotel

In an earlier post, I mentioned that we went here to have some quality time with the family.  We tagged along ate len so she'd have a breath of fresh air too. Then simon just googled playground in tagaytay and one of the top hits was Kimberly Hotel so we took a drive to the place. I got so excited to see the big playground and the organic farm, then the farm animals.  Simone had fun petting the rabbits, feeding them and the sheep, and i had fun buying potted herbs. The big playground was a big hit to all of us. hahaha. It has a small pool where you can dip as well.  In fairness, if i'd be chosen an intimate wedding venue in tagaytay, i'd probably choose this one.  it's really nice and still new, plus you won't see any arturo fuente cigars around as the place is a no smoking zone as well.

The one with music lessons

I'm really interested in enrolling Simone to music lessons this summer but i'm still contemplating if the timing is just right.  She just turned six last month and I'm not sure if this is the perfect time for some music lessons for her.  But when I told it to the husband, he said to just wait until she's more ready to choose what she wants.  It's better if the choice comes from her, to learn and study music.  But seeing her interest in it and her potential to learn makes me more willing to do my own little research when the right time comes for her.  So far, she tried playing around a piano, a flute, a ukelele.  She has'nt tried new Squier guitars coz im sure those are pricey but it would have been great to see her play a real guitar someday.

As a parent, i'll try my best to expose her to all the possibilities of learning or growth for her. Excited for more learning experiences for you baby!

The one with garage sale online

I'm soo happy coz i was able to declutter my wardrobe cabinet and earned almost 4,000.00 in a flash. yey! and almost all of these clothes are second hand, some were really used but still wearable, some were worn just once or twice.  I got so thrilled that from selling these second hand items, i was able to earn some shopping money. hahaha.

I love online shopping! Now, I want to do this every tuesday, to devote some time in posting items online in our n@w group.

The one with Simone's best bday gift

I'm so happy Simon bought a ukelele for Simone.  She's been loving music instruments lately so Simon decided to buy his daughter a small guitar.  When you ask her what birthday gifts she loved best, she would answer "daddy's gift to me...the small guitar." aaawww...and now, their bonding includes guitar playing and jamming.  It's not like the gibson es 335 guitar that he likes to buy for himself but at least it's something that Simone can start up with. :)

Happy playing baby. Now im thinking if it would be nice to enrol her to a music workshop. I'm torn!!!

The one with craft bonding with lola

While looking for materials to use for their arts and crafts, lola alma found some extra felt cloth.  She gave this to Simone and this is what they came up with. Cuteness!

The one with more financial plans

We're not rich people, we have dreams of a more financially stable life but of course, just to the best that we can do and achieve.  We dream of being able to help our families live more comfortable lives, help them to become more productive as well.  That's why when my mom in law's passion in sewing has opened Dresscode costumes, I really thought of pursuing a matching mom and daughter's biz for her too.  I can finance her business and maybe in time, we can be partners in this endeavor.  With my mom, I'll just support her with whatever plans she may have.  She's still thinking what to do so i'm just waiting what we can come up with.

I don't personally dream of living like the Gokongweis and the Ayalas, I dont need those china portion plates displayed on my shelf. I just want a more comfortable life.  Thank you Lord for the  blessings and for using us to be mediums of your blessings.

The one with financial investment

The husband would always ask me to take care of any financial plans that we want to try.  He admits that he's not very meticulous in familiarizing oneself on the details and benefits of financial investments, that's why, he lets me choose where to invest it.  

Recently, i've been interested in knowing more about annuity and its advantages.  I tried googling Learn More - AnnuityAdvantage.com and I found out that it's not that common here yet in Manila but learning more about it will be beneficial by knowing how many percent of interest you can get by each annuity plan.

I hope I'd get the hang of this and be able to keep up with the terms and process. 

The one with moving up

I still can't believe that Simone has finished her pre-school already.  She will be grade 1 this coming June already and I'm still having mixed emotions on how to handle this.  For me, she still looks like a little kid.  I don't feel like she's a grade schooler already.  But it may also be the fact that we're in denial (the husband and i), the reason why we still can't see Simone as a grader.

I also realized that six years passed just like a breeze and for another 6 years to pass as breezy as it did, oh my, she'd be 12 and i would'nt even know.

So cherish those moments while they're still clingy, while they still opt to sleep beside you and call you everytime they need to do something.

I love you Simone. You will always be my baby :)

The one with fun-filled weekend

And so Simone's party has ended. It was a part-by-part celebration, we made sure she'll have fun and we're so happy she did. :) We started with spending the whole day with her on her exact bday, asking her where she wants to go, what she wants to do etc. it's like whatever you want, we won't contest bday plan. haha. We capped off the evening with a dinner buffet at intercontinental hotel.  I got vouchers which i used immediately.     I'll post a separate story and review on that.  Sunday we had a simple party with family and closest friends and her classmates of course.  She wanted a fairy party so we gave her just that.  It was simple yet so much fun for her.  I was computing costs of a hotel stay with family, dine out and a school party vis-a-vis the shakeys party and it practically cost the same so we I headed on with booking shakey's instead. haha.  Simon had fun as well.  Later did he realize that it was fun to throw a party coz Simone gets to bring home lots of toys and gifts. :)

Monday, it was a spur of the moment thing.  We decided to drive to tagaytay with Heart. It was Heart's first out of town trip and Simon was not complaining with the long drive.  haha.  It was so much fun not having to worry about your car breaking down because Heart is all brand new. ahehehe.  We went to Picnic Grove, dined in Celina's for a buffet, then stayed at Kimberly Hotel for playground, farm visit, farm animal feeding and petting plus herb shopping :) We had so much fun.  Went home with lots of loads, pineapples, fresh carabao milk, kesong puti, and veggies :)

All in all...it was perfect! happy birthday again my baby! We love you!

More separate stories on each event. hehe. ;)

the one with restaurant play

My real order was sushi,sashimi and maki. Haha. And when i asked about the discount she said "free discount" which means no discount.hahaha.

The one with no daddy

Whenever they fight,you'd see this sigb.haha. at first i got a little concerned that the two dont't get along until i learned from my other friends that their hubbies anddaughter figjt all the time as well. whew!

The one with love letter to Simone

I want to start this personal tradition of writing a letter to my daughter every birthday and to start it off, here's one:

February 21, 2013

Simone is 6

Dear Simone,

As the day’s nearing, I found myself remembering several years back.  The time when I had you, your first poop, the first time you got sick, how I used to cry in the office everyday because I had to leave you behind, and everything else in fast, chronological order seemed to appear like a movie trailer.  I can’t believe it’s been six years.

Thank you Simone for growing to become the daughter I have always prayed for.  I pray that you will always follow God’s path in your life, as young as may be.  I thank the Lord for adding another year into your life.  I thank Him because He has entrusted me with such a big blessing in the life of you and I will always feel grateful that He gave me you.

This year, I’ve seen a lot of growth in you.  The transition of being a toddler to a preschooler has been an interesting one.  I love that you’re very interested in studying and learning.  It makes me happy that you enjoy what you do in school.  I’m proud of all your accomplishments.  It’s not what you have accomplished but it’s the effort that you put into that I’m at my proudest mom-self. J Thank you for being the sweetest daughter, always making notes to mommy, making love letters and banners saying “You’re the best mommy”.  Thank you that even at a young age, you always try to take care of mommy. Thank you for your super funny antics, jokes, quotable quotes that not only make my day complete, but those who read my FB wall as well.  Thank you for being a student who always have the initiative to study.  I’m so happy I don’t have to force you to do your assignments.  I’m just glad I’m blessed with who you are.  You’re not a perfect daughter but im not a perfect mom.  We’ll always have things to quarrel about, you’ll always find ways to be “mad” at daddy but know that we will always love you anak.  We will always take care of you as God has entrusted us with the greatest blessing of our lives… you J

Love, 

Mommy :)

The one with latest accomplishment

It was supposed to be just dinner with my bestest friends...but things turned out differently.

You see, Simon has always been known as someone's who is really good in convincing people to try out new brands, new things.  He can really be a great agent, i tell you.  But this time, things turned around.  While we were having dinner, I was cornered by my friends to consider buying a brand new Mirage for Simon.  They computed Simon's taxi expenses, repair expenses of his old car, so we' be able to compare.  And they also could'nt find the logic why we'd have to wait to move in to the new house before we buy another car.  So after much convincing, Simon and I talked about it the whole monday.  We made a table of our options and compared the two vis-a-vis.  Then it was just so fast.  But we feel more excited for it.  He's been working hard to provide for us, he deserves it so we contacted the Jason and Naan's agent, asked for a computation and went to the office the following day.  We did'nt realize it would be that fast, it took simon to think longer when he bought me a laptop that it took him to pay the reservation fee.

The following day we were able to sell his old car immediately.  Among the 4 interested buyers who were all starting to panic to buy it the night we posted it, only one came during the meet up.  It was as if it was meant for him and he was a pastor. cool!

So anyway, two hours after, we found ourselves driving to Manila showroom and getting giddily excited to reserve and submit our requirements. :) Finally, we were able to submit and pay for reservation fee. we won't get the unit though right away. On our way home, the bank called already for the approval of our loan which made us more excited. Now we can't wait!

I'm so happy I made my husband happy. In a way, it was still a surprise since he's not expecting he'd have a car so soon, and a new one for that matter.  Thank you Lord for the provision. Thank you for the blessing.  Always use us to be good stewards of your blessings.

And to Simon, im glad you liked it. as i always tell you, you deserve it beh. i love you so much!

The one with a time for everything

These past few weeks were quite a roller coaster ride for our family.  We found out we're pregnant last dec21.  I was nervous and excited at the same time.  When we had our ultrasound, the sonologist can't confirm yet our pregnancy since it was just a gestational sac then.  We waited for a week for another ultrasound.  It had a development, the sac had a yolk sac already but she still could'nt confirm pregnancy.  It was painful for not being able to confirm pregnancy yet.  We could'nt share the joy of having another baby.  We could'nt express how much blessed we feel, we'd want to announce it already.  We can't do it because it's not yet confirmed.  So we decided to wait a month long instead of just another week so we'd be really sure if everything is fine.  After almost a month, went back to sonologist and found out that the yolk sac did'nt grow anymore.  It was the same size as our last ultrasound.  And now it seemed more flat, like a deflated balloon.  I was the first to ask the sonologist if the baby did not progress anymore and she said, "no, it did not grow anymore"  I was sad of course but I was surprised actually to find out i did'nt cry.  It was God's grace that gave me the comfort to handle this well.  I and my husband were able to accept and move on as soon as we knew about the news, knowing that God knows better.

We may not had the chance to announce it proudly in FB, record the announcement for cd replication but it was an enlightening experience to know and appreciate the miracle of life on a deeper perspective. thank you Lord.