The one with some rains

Lately, we've been having rainfalls and some gloomy days amidst the summer heat. the gloomy days added to the three consecutive events in our family: the passing away of simon's lola, my mom's tendonitis and simone's suspected chickenpox.

~ Nanay passed away last March 10. It was our thanksgiving day and we went to my in-laws' house. when i went there, i saw that she was struggling for breath already and they hurried her to the hospital. we were so sad but we still did'nt expect that it will be the last time we'd see of her. Simon is Nanay's favorite apo. and by favorite, preparing simon's school uniform when was he was a student and preparing his food was only some of the things she used to do for Simon. She was really expressive of how she always favored simon so her passing brought back many good memories to simon, of how he was loved by her grandmother. Thank you nanay for taking care of my husband and thank you for raising him to become who he is now. we will definitely see you again.

~ Last wednesday, two weeks after nanay's passing, my mom had a terrible pain on her arm and eventually went on to her back. i was alarmed. she asked that she'd be taken to the hospital already. at the emergency room, we waited and found out that it was tendonitis. we'd have to bring her to an ortho doctor after her medication and check if she needs therapy so it won't have to go back. seeing my mother in pain was hard. it was a realization that our parents are really growing old. My mom thanked me for taking her to the hospital, taking care of her. I told her it was nothing. I thought to myself, she took good care of me while i was growing up, it was the least i can do for my parents.

~ Just the other day, simone had rashes on her body. Simon feared it to be chickenpox but i shooed the idea right away, thinking later on that i was in denial. We had her checked that day and the pedia made an initial diagnosis that it might be chickenpox. i was so sad finding about it and prayed that i hope it goes away right away. the pedia admitted that she can't really diagnose it as chickenpox since the possibility of a heat rash is also evident. i, of course, leaned on the idea of a heat rash. until now, she only had about ten rashes (yes i counted one by one) but i really hope everything turns out better.

I know that there are some rainy and gloomy days, that days like these you'd just wish there's an instant cure for hair loss among cures for so many things. But more than anything, after a rainy day will always be a bright and sunny day. :)

The one with free pizza

I read a book about how to be financially free. and after reading the book, i cancelled all my credit cards and never thought i'd see it as a good influence to me. but i chanced upon another article about how you can maximize your credit card and be able to get good deals with it. i tried to read more about it and learned that it only takes a regular updating and checking of your account. we paid our balance payment of our bohol trip using simon's credit card. it was a good 12k and after receiving the bill just today, i saw a promo of greenwich that give you a free family pizza with an accumulated receipt of 10k. cool! i immediately remembered our bohol trip and told it to simon. luckily, we were on our way to the mall so we had a free pizza meal courtesy of our credit card. it's not bad after all. :)

other freebies when you use your metrobank card are the ff:
- free baked macaroni for a single receipt of 2k
- free double pizza for a single receipt of 5k.
- free family pizza for accumulated receipts worth 10k. the value of our pizza was 400 pesos.

cool! now all i have to do is to read all the promos offered by these credit cards. :)

The one with not another pound

I was so tired last night from a long day of parties that i bought a lot of "comfort food" on the way home. i bought ice cream, my favorite cheetos, and piknik. yummy! i know that i just spent a lot of money just to gain more pounds. Earlier that day, Lissa my former officemate, gave me pics she got from mama arlene and those pics were my pics before while i was in univet. man, was i sooo thin. i tried to go back to one of my first posts here in my 5-year old blog and this is what i found out.

http://simon-jacque.blogspot.com/2005/05/one-with-kuks-reyes-tmu.html

i took that picture before my first trial make up and i can't believe that at that time, i never thought that i was thin. look at the collar bone and the long neck. waah!!! will i ever have that kind of body again?! (wishful thinking) i need a quick trim. i hope to meet the nutritionist my dad in law was talking about. i'm so excited to lose all the weight and at least get my pre-pregnancy body back. :)

am i shooting for the stars here??? haha.

The one with playdate

I just got home from the mall and spent the day with my husband and daughter. we went to a playroom again and had a good playdate with the other kids there. it was fun playing with the other kids as in to the point that they'd be all over you just so you'd notice them. we played "shopping game" and then played hoops and balls, slides and play house. i'm a keen observer especially with kids. and by simply looking at how they behave, i come to semi-analyze how their personalities are as kids. I've noticed some kids who bully just so you'd notice them, i noticed some who seem to be the "ate" and the leader and the kid who is loved and "played with" the most because he/she is the youngest. in this case, it was my daughter who was their doll. haha. at first, no one wants to play with her. but eventually, all the other kids came to her and wanted to play with her. nalilito tuloy sya where to go and what to do. haha.

i just love playdates! You just need to have the best multivitamin so you'd be able to keep up with them :)

The one with a new hobby

Movie marathon has always been a favorite pasttime for us. we love watching movies. and when we bought the LCD tv for the living room, we knew we're gonna be in for so many lack-of-sleep-nights. haha. we start watching tv when simone has dozed off already and it's very seldom that we get to finish a movie but for weekends and during day time, we can finish about two movies straight as long as our daughter won't bug us to change the cd.

And just last week, my ever creative and techie husband found a way to watch movies without using DVDs at all. he just put about 30 movies in his ipod and viola! i thought he needed to buy memory of some sort or upgrade the ipod but he was able to maximize it. winner!

And just last sunday, we bought a 2-seater super soft leatherish sofa to go with our new hobby. i really wanted the 2-seater recliner chair but 20k for a piece of sofa (not even a set) is too much so we settled for a 2-seater "normal" chair but feels good to sit on. :)

The one with growing up

These past few weeks, my sister in law Chell and her son Neyo have been visiting my in-laws on a regular basis. I really felt happy that the kids get to spend more time together. And seeing them playing together, tickling each other and just taking care of each other, I know that they will all grow up loving and protecting each other.

Neyo is a big baby. It's like he was given a human growth hormone because at 8 months, he looks strong, big boned. i love it when i make him smile. he has the cutest smile.

Justin is the singer and the hotwheel among the kids. he's so restless he cannot sit for five seconds nor stand alone not doing anything. he'd always run, jump and literally dive wherever he can. The reason why his mother would always put a high-pitched tone when taking care of justin. haha

Simone is the achie and im just so proud that she's aware of being one. :) she loves her cousins so much.

we love you kids!

The one with thirtiesh

And i thought turning 30 was not that bad. well, it really was'nt if we're referring to how i felt on the actual day of my birthday. i really thought i embraced the 30-hood stage. but months have passed since i started/attempted to lose weight and it became doubly hard for me now compared to five years back. heck, i'd cut down the rice, id lose weight in one week. now, cutting down rice was nothing. and i also noticed that my face dries up easily. i dont know if it's because of the weather but the anti aging product tv commercials seem to be appealing to me lately. hahaha. and getting samples from beauty stores are worth a try.

oh yeah, let's always blame it on the hormones. haha.

The one with bohol 2010 day 2

Our second day was spent at the beach. And it was just soooo peaceful, serene, and anything relaxing that we can think of and feel. We felt so blessed that we were able to spend it with our parents and of course, our daughter.

the swimming pool. nice!

I booked three rooms for us. we got standard rooms at the hotel. But i felt that it would have been better if we booked a villa instead. although come to think of it, we had separate TVs, separate bathrooms, separate rooms, major privacy (read: honeymooning! haha) and separate doorbells that we'd use to dingdong each other when it's time for sun-bathing again. haha.

we had a good family time together. i spent some time in the water with my moms, and simone (aka girls' time)

just the girls

and of course, more private time with the husband. yihee!


i also love our mother-daughter bonding moments....

SOOOO much fun! i really hope we can do it again. Thank you Lord for the perfect trip! :)


and to you simone, we love you. thank you for your love, for making us feel how it is to be parents... and making it a little easier for us...at times. hahaha. God bless you anak :)

The one with bohol 2010 day 1

I'll try to post this in multiple entries so as not to crowd one entry with lotsa pictures.

I MISS BOHOL!

If there's only one thing that we think is the downside of having an out-of-town birthday celebration, it's that we were'nt able to bring the whole family (including titas, titos and cousins) im sure it would have been uber fun!!! but maybe on the next trip ;)

We left Manila at 530am and i was so proud i was able to pack just one, as in one and only luggage for the three of us. i felt so proud, i thought of myself as a very good and wise traveler. haha. i didnt even have to buy one Titan luggage for our things. so that's one big luggage, one bag for me, one backpack for simon (for all our techie stuff) and one portable plastic container for simone's milk bottles. cool!

Simone is the perfect travel buddy. Our prayer was answered and she was soooo behaved during the flight. i really felt that time that she'd grow up to be a stewardess after having to see her how she runs inside the airplane when the seatbelt sign is off, asking for water when the stewardess first time passed by our seat, as if knowing what to say. and i never even had to distract her with anything. when we were off to bohol, i actually tried to divert her attention to the airplanes outside so she would'nt feel the pressure in her ears while taking off. but man, i noticed she did'nt need to be diverted at all. she knew pretty well that we'd be flying off, "with the clouds" and that she even said goodbye to all airplanes still on land. haha. winner!

"i'm reading ma, dont disturb"

simone with all her grannies

I gotta say she was also so behaved since she was with all her grandparents. she felt secured and contented. :)

Landing...

We were greeted at Bohol Beach Club with this...

simon did'nt want to leave the resort anymore. he just wanted to go to the beach, lie down under the sun and relax. i, of course, felt that a bohol trip ain't a bohol trip if we won't be going to places. so i got the ordinary tour from the hotel at 3,400.00 for a whole day trip with driver/tour guide, entrance fees excluded. i thought it was a good deal. we were able to visit chocolate hills, the tarsiers, souvenir shop, loboc river (but since we had to wait for an hour, we were'nt able to do the floating river thing coz we were all super hungry!)

grannies at choco hills...we had to transfer though. everyone's piled up at the good spot. hehe

enjoying the tour! simone walked up the steps for the first half, the other half time???i carried her! gosh!

posing on the rock...literally on the rick. hehe


we had to stop here...super nice kasi. the big, vertical trees had to be included in our album :)

only in bohol...



and since our first day fell on simone's exact bday, we had cake for her during dinner.

i think almost all the guests in BBC that night knew it was her bday. haha. we had to sing the song 4 times, she had to blow her candle four times too. kaloka!

simone just turned 3!

The one with eco-friendlier

The other day, while doing my grocery in SM, i used my eco-friendly bags instead of their plastic bags. It was a conscious effort to bring the bags instead of just using the plastic bags. I felt good having to "save the environment" the little way possible. We also shifted to using recycled papers and buying more organic stuff, organic vegetables, organic soaps, organic shampoos, etc. My dad's Amway products are better alternatives.

I also found out that there are more eco-friendly inks that we can try. i was actually surprised to read about Anilox roll cleaning which are ecologically safe products.

I think it's not an easy transition to be more responsible in taking our part in caring for mother nature. But i'm sure we need not be advocates or members of any eco-groups to do our part. we just have to know where we can contribute the best way we can. :)

The one with being an adult

I, as a mom, feel very democratic (if this is the better word) in raising simone. It is not in my system to tell her what she can't do, can't touch. after all, someone, if not me, is always around to watch her. that's why we do things together like i let her "wash" dishes. by wash it would mean soaking her bottles in water until her shirt is soaked in water as well. I let her cook and stir. I hold her hand while stirring and explain to her that she can only do it when mommy is around. When doing the grocery, I ask her to get the things we need and one time, the cashier even let her hold the ls2208 barcode reader. I let her water our plants, help me feed ross and other things that other kids her age are'nt allowed to do so.

My parenting skills may be a little more than the ordinary and I know that there are certain limitations with the "freedom" we give her. I know that we can't as in never leave her out of sight except when we know that she is totally in a kid-friendly environment. But come to think of it, it's every parent's golden rule to never leave their kid out of sight so i guess it's not really a limitation after all. :)

The one with the navigator

Whenever my husband tells me that i'am the better driver, I always feel blessed that i have a husband who can summon to accept the "feeling" that his wife is better in driving, which normally would not be the case for other couples.

But when he got his new license already (believe me, it took us years before he was able to get his license back...haha) he is able to drive Vin more often and feels more confident driving to places. He downloaded a gps system in his phone that would track where he's heading...it's really cool as it is as accurate as how you would remember the landmarks.

With this, I actually feel more blessed that he's the better driver now and that he navigates our family to a safe journey...literally and figuratively. :)

Simone's top 10 amusing answers

And they say kids say the darndest things...hahaha...

Simone Before turning three...

1. Mom in an almost angry tone: “Simone, ang likot-likot mo naman e. Grrrhhhh”

Simone: “Eh bakit may tiger pa?” (pertaining to the grhhh…haha)

2. Dad while driving: “simone, wag ka nga malikot”

Simone: “Eh happy ako e.”

3. Mom after taking a bath with simone: “Come on let’s go.”

Simone: “No, im doing something e. I’m soaping e.”

4. Simone to mom bidding goodbye: “Eh san ka punta?work? client? AGAIN???”
5. Simone to dad bidding goodbye: “Eh kaw, san ka punta? Office? Ingat ka”
6. Simone to mom when going to party: “Party? Ayoko dun, may clown dun e”
7. Simone to maru after she’s told to stop playing with water : “Ehhh…ate, dun ka sa labas…wash ka ng plate!”
8. Simone to Ross (our dog): “Ross, no! quiet!…galit si Jesus.”
9. Simone to Justin (her younger cousin: “Justin, stop that. Not good yan ha…galit si Jesus”
10. Mom: “simone, we’ll go to the mall later ha”

Simone: “Mall…again?!?!?”

The one with money sense

After our bohol trip, i can't help but give credit to simon and i for having to be able to treat our parents for a vacation. we've always wanted that and knowing that it will make them happy made us more motivated to save up for it. and with that, i'm also proud of the good deals that we were able to get that manages us to save a lot.

1. we got PAL's 777 promo. for a group of 6 adults and 1 kiddo, our 10k flight accommodations is a great catch.
2. i was able to book the hotel last year so i'd be able to avail of their old rates. ;) and i saved a couple of thousands with that.
3. i got the ordinary tour of hotel, renting out the van for the whole day with your driver/tour guide tagged along and we only chose the ones we wanted to go to since we're with older people and we know that they wont be able to stand long walks. so we went to the essentials: chocolate hills, loboc river, and tarsier areas and headed back to the hotel. had we gone with the complete tour, we'd have less time in the beach.
4. we brought light meals for breakfast and coffee packs. ;) our first day allowed us to splurge and indulge ourselves with food from the hotel since our first day is simone's birthday. on our second day, we settled for our "baon" and "ihaw" from restaurants nearby. and our third day, we ate again in the hotel's restaurant. :)
5. i know it's always nice to buy pasalubongs for relatives but we opted not to spend too much on this so we only bought peanut kisses for our siblings :)
6. we saved up for it and paid whatever we can pay so we don't have to cash out that big amount on the day of our vacation. it's like an rv financing, you make an installment so you don't get shocked that you spend a lot already for the trip.

Planning a trip is not easy but whatever it is that will make our parents happy is definitely worth it. So if you can afford or if you can save up for it, i'd advise you to go on a trip with your parents. Even if they are able to afford it on their own, it makes them proud and doubly happy that their children give an effort to do something for them :)

The one with alone time

I never complained that i don't spend much time for myself but i've always dreamed i'd have more time for myself. And God granted it today. I'm here in the mall since lunch time. I forgot my laptop so i could'nt set a meeting with a client. Simon told me, "baka gusto ni Lord mag-spend ka time for yourself". and it struck me that yes, that might be the reason as i'm always, always in front of the computer (like what im doing now..haha) So i asked him to drop me off at Robinson's galleria, decided to get a haircut and a cellophane treatment and then a scalp treatment, then strolled and bought myself a nice top, had my eyebrows trimmed and just had a great time by myself. sarap! It's like i was in a home theater seating, that's how relaxing it was. there'd be times i'll think of calling simone at her grandma's place but decided not to. i really have to learn how to have that "me time" as in not even thinking about my kiddo as i know that she is safe naman.

thank you Lord for this time. seriously, it is the littlest of things that gives life more meaning. :)

Oh by the way, the reason why i had to sit inside an internet shop...coz it's cheaper than me doing shopping! hahaha.

The one with 3-year realizations

Simone just turned three. Feels like it was only months ago when i gave birth to her (yeah, i still carry those pregnancy weight you know, haha) and felt like for me, she will never grow old. I find it fascinating that every year, just weeks before she turns a year older, she will always show signs of developments that will really mark her birthday. Like when she turned two, i remember her memorizing the alphabets by singing it, being able to count 1 to 10. Now that she turned three, she speaks in sentences that drops our jaws and at the same time, makes us emotional once again. she reasons in logic and in sensible ones mind you. One time, she was just so hyper, she kept on moving inside the car and her dad told her in an annoying composed tone "simone, wag ka nga malikot". we were shocked that she answered back with "eh happy ako e." we looked at each other (simon and i) and felt teary-eyed with her answer. it was like, "oh man, she really knows things around her" the common sentence that "kids say the darndest things" what she answered was not darn, it was pure joy. :) and we cant help but wonder how a 3-year old kiddo can know this already and express it.

We love you anak. im not yet ready for you to turn 18, moreso of getting married (i'd need hemorrhoids treatments when that time comes) but one thing is for sure, you are ready to grow up so we'll take it one year at a time. :)

The one with wish it was five years back

When we went to bohol and i saw these women wearing their 2-pc swimsuits, i thought to myself that wish i had the same guts as they have now five years back. haha. I had a slimmer tummy when i was single. as in my waistline was like 27 and had hips like that of a spanish woman (read: big hips) thus more emphasis on the waist. but the weird thing was that i did'nt feel i was "slimmer" at that time. I'd always compare myself with my slim, bone and skin friends and would think that i'd wish i have their bods.

But then, time passed and fast forward, i can only attempt to wear swimsuits with boyleg design. harhar. i still felt sexy but i'd wish my tummy five years ago will be back and that i wont have to drool over sites such as www.topfatburner.net. haha.

The one with just one party

I planned on not accepting parties on the weekend of simone's birthday but i accepted alma's knowing that she's very easy to work with. I'm so glad that her party was a day before simone's and i was able to be there the whole time. I had a great time doing her jungle theme. and as a last party before our bohol trip, this one was a party i enjoyed attending. Flooch had a great show, Queensland caterer served the best food, some of the older people there might need a cholesterol treatment from all the guilt food we all indulged with. haha. there was no party in the morning giving us more time to prepare. love it!

thank you Lord for a wonderful send off thing so i don't have to think of anything else but simone's birthday ;)

The one with bohol birthday

Our trip was perfect! It was everything i prayed for. Great weather, Simone being a perfect travel buddy, our parents who had a fabulous time and kept on wishing we'd come back, great food, white sand, great hotel, good people. We kept on eating to our hearts' content. it's good that the benefits of colon cleansing took place and the dads did'nt feel any pain as effect of possible gout, arthritis or even high blood. haha.

will post a separate entry for this trip. really, really had a great time. thank you Lord!

The one with thinking about it

Now that simone is nearing to her 3rd birthday, i can't help but think at times when we will try for a second baby. As of now, actually, we're planning on starting to try before she turns five but honestly, im not so sure if i'm ready for it. But i know that no one will be ever ready for it. A second surprise is a big blessing but the process of having ot go thru everything, the prenatal vitamins, the check-ups, the leg cramps, the contractions is just the peak of the iceberg. haha.

But im sure when that times comes, God will prepare us for it and I'm sure our family will be doubly happier too :-)

The one with this weekend na

Celebrating birthday out of town is an unusual thing for us but we want to travel more than we used to, we also want to travel with our parents and since we're not throwing a party for simone, this is the best way we can celebrate her birthday. we'll hold a post-birthday celebration when we get back so we can celebrate it with her aunts and uncles too. :)

I have a lot to do's. Check our tickets (im not sure how online ticket works when you get to the airport, do you just use the one you printed from the pc? hehe) i have to call them for that. and i also need to buy new swimsuits for simone, new shorts for daddy and a swimsuit for me too. I also need to strategically think how we would pack simone's bottles, clothes, diapers. i really don't want to carry a lot of stuff for this trip you know.

When going out of town, one must not forget these:
~ camera
~ sunblock
~ to pack light (i wont bring jeans. shorts, leggings, lightweight shirts will do)
~ celphone and chargers
~ hat
~ vitamins (i always notice almost everyone i know who go to outings get sick after the trip, so pack yourself with vitamins, hehe)


Happy 3rd birthday simone! a few days more and you're a year older again. love you!

The one with flying colors

Last night, we hosted our monthly thanksgiving day at our house. Normally, i would order food from shakey's (for pizza) or buy chicken from Andok's. hehe. but i felt like cooking for our family and wanted to show my cooking prowess, if there's any. Later that i realized after buying breakfast steak and lamb chops from rustan's that i found out i don't know what to cook! bwahaha. i immediately texted concon to help me but alas, my limited-sized brain could'nt afford to understand what she was saying. so my menu for the evening were these:

Lamb stew with young corn and quail eggs
bacon and pepperoni lyoner carbonara
beef steak (read: beef tapa)

the first one was my highlight for the dinner. haha. it was music to my ears hearing my mom in law saying that it was delicious and sauce is just perfect. wow. and to my ever critic sisters in law, haha, all of them just cook really good so there was an added pressure. Imagine, I made them eat lamb! im soo happy! they loved it. actually, it's supposed to be adodo-style but i overused the white vinegar, hence, had to add more water and soy sauce and sugar. haha. but the meat is so tender. :) my husband loved it more. he kept on saying how much he appreciated my cooking.

the second one was easy and i had to give credit to my pasta cooking. i can't miss pasta in my menu. but the sauce was creamy i must say and i put loads of bacon into it, that's why they loved it. yey!

the third one was my not so well-done "steak". but they still ate it so i was still happy. simon told me nga, "para may konting flaws naman". hahaha. yeah right!

my mom in law brought chicken curry and that's the one i ate. :) it feels good seeing people appreciate your cooking and eating to their hearts' content. so much better to have you being commented for it. now this is how chefs feel when they are requested to come out of the kitchen so a guest can thank them for a very great meal they just had. haha.

i seldom cook, as in very seldom but this one made its flying colors. :) til my next cooking adventure!

The one with finally

Yeah, i just posted that patience is my waterloo and now that i remember, today is the first payment we made for our baby Vin. gosh, we have him for a month already and this is the first payment we just made. we are actually planning to pay a lump sum amount but our agent advised us that since we're on a loan already, might as well maximize it. im not big in loans, i wanted it to be done as soon as possible so i won't think about it every now and then. that's why we're saving for a house also so we won't have to loan that big amount too and the mortgage insurance rates won't be as high.

The one with a lot to wait for

Patience is not my cup of tea...and they say it's a virtue. hahaha. I just can't wait for a lot of things this month and January felt like forever. seriously, did't you feel like january took off really slow and that it has almost five weeks in the calendar?! hahaha, impatient i know.

so now that february is here already, here's what we are all been waiting for:

~ Simone's 3rd bday - yes we don't have a party for her this year but we'll make sure that she will remember this birthday with our bohol trip. our parents are sooo excited that it makes me excited too. actually, im the type who does'nt want to expect too much so i wont get disappointed too bad as well. but i really hope the grannies will have a great time, if not the best. :) we'll also have a birthday dinner celebration with our families once we get back. isn't it exciting?! :)

~ David Benoit's concert - "david who?" this was my first reaction when simon told me he wanted to watch his concert. and then i learned that he is a great jazz player. the concert is at PICC and we bought tickets already. jun, simon's friend, bought it for us and we'll be on a double date. haha.

~ our 11th anniversary as a couple - i cannot believe that the day after simone's bday will be our 11th anniversary as a couple. yeah, college pa lang kme na. hehe. wow, it's that long already huh? i love you beh! we have'nt anything planned yet for that day since that's our trip back to manila but a nice dinner date will be sweet. hehe. hindi pa napagod sa mga lakwatsa!

here's to february and i hope everyone will have a sweet and fun love month!

The one with Win a Free Boracay package

Win a Free Boracay Vacation Package by WOW Philippines Travel Agency

WOW Philippines Travel Agency, Inc. is celebrating it's 5th year in business during July of 2010, and we would like you to have a chance to celebrate with us, so we have decided to give-away a FREE Boracay Package complete with 5 Star accommodations at the luxurious Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel on Boracay Island. The lucky winner will win the following Boracay vacation package.

Vacation Package Inclusions:
- 5 Days / 4 Nights Luxury 5 Star Accommodations at the Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel
- Flights to Boracay from Manila to Caticlan Airport on Philippine Airlines
- Island Transfers - Door-to-Door from Manila to the resort and back to Manila
- Three (3) Meals each day, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Boracay Activities - Horseback Riding, Island Hopping, Glass Bottom Boat
- PLUS - 5,000 peso Spending Cash

Read More Information: http://www.boracay-packages.com

The one with making some progress

So yeah, i stopped eating rice, i lessened my iced tea intakes, i do my dance pad routines everyday...i think it's starting to work. bwahaha!

I dont expect that i'd be perfect bod in time for our bohol trip but at least a more decent body would be nicer to have. My mom in law noticed that im starting to have a shape again. hahaha. and i giggled. I think i should continue with my biguerlai tea and really stopped on the sweets.

Hmmm...some muscle milk review can also help daw in losing weight...

The one with how my day went

Yesterday was a pretty usual day. I got off early, dropped off simone to her lola's house and off to my meetings. My first stop was at A.Venue Hall. When i was at the restroom, I saw a group of high school students in their uniform all giggling while they were telling stories of sorts. I instantly remembered how we were also like them, all loud and giggly. While washing hands, I noticed that a girl was pulling the tissue paper from the dispenser endlessly and then throwing it in the trash without even using it. I was with my "what are you doing?! look" and she just stared back and did it again. I could'nt argue anymore, i don't know how many they are outside and they just might get revenge on me or something and i thought to myself..."we were never like that in high school."

After my meetings, I went on with my grocery. I decided to buy some seafood and vegetables since im trying to you know...cut back on the meat. ahehe. while loading the bags to our car, i noticed that it's starting to smell (the seafood) so i tied the plastic bags hoping that it would'nt smell anymore. i even thought of buying a humidifier filter for that one. geez...OA. haha.

The one with a wedding

We have another wedding in the family this year! We're getting more excited even if the wedding is still 11 months away. haha. my sister in law, kookie, found a venue already. such an enchanting garden and last night, she was "presenting" the options they have since they don't want to go overboard with the budget. sooo exciting! im gonna do the styling of the venue for reception and ceremony. my other SIL jane will do the invitation and give-aways. can't wait. actually, jane and i talked about their budget and secretly planned that in case their budget wont suffice, we will pitch in for them. ;) so need to work, work, work! hahaha. i might have to buy some acne products so i wont get all zitty that day. ahehe.

The one with avatar

Hands down...this is one of the best movies i've seen. It's been a long time since i watched a great movie. and by great, i mean a movie that you would'nt mind watching over and over on the big screen. I wanted to watch it again. I wanted to make up for the 2-minute restroom break i had the first time i watched it. i wanted to feel the 3d experience again. Waah, really worth every cent!

The only thing that kept running my mind while watching the movie was "how the heck did they think of this?" i mean, what was running in their minds while making this movie? it's not your usual storyboard, not your usual setting and definitely not your usual characters specially the body frames of the navis that no diet supplement can promise to give you. haha.

I love how the story unfolded. The trailer was simply an understatement of what the movie could offer. And watching it was made me said this... " ahhh..." or "oh that can be possible" or "oh my gosh". Every scene is worth every cent. :) simply the best.

The one with 3rd bday

We won't be throwing a party for simone on her 3rd birthday. hihi. the bohol trip with her grandparents will be our treat for her and we hope to have a good time there. we're packing ourselves with vitamins so we won't get sick. we're trying to "condition" simone with planes and going to places so we won't have a hard time during the trip. I just pray that she won't throw any "flight tantrums". hehe.

The one with match

I've always been fond of matching outfits. I was actually influenced by my good friend, Rhea when she and andie wear matching outfits. I became engrossed with it that even our shoes had to match. There's this "cute" feel that i get when i see a mini me in my daughter and by mini me, i mean literally. :)

My mom in law makes our party outfits that we offer to our clients. And i've been drooling to have her make me lots and lots of matching outfits. So i thought, "why not make this to a business?" Oh yes, we're leveling up our outfits and expanding to a casual line of clothing for moms and daughter/son and dads and son/daughter! wohoo! What actually will set up apart from others (although there are just a few who do this) is that we'll have more variety of choices and that we won't limit our lines to same gender matching outfits. we'll have something for dads and their daughters and moms and their sons. We'd also be RTW for this one but we can also customize, but on a different rate. I'm just so excited for this that i've started my weight loss exercise program so i'd pass for a model, together with simone. :)

Please support us with this one! We'll update you soon of our progress. :)

The one with a month to go

We're all excited for our bohol trip next month. I've been looking for some bath suits that i can bravely wear for that trip but everything seems to look odd on me. haha. I really need to find diets that work for me. I actually started on biguerlai last week but can't drink it regularly since i have to consider my going out and meet ups the following day each time i take biguerlai. but it's promising, in fairness. i never miss my number 2s 12 hours after i drink the tea. :) i just hope it's as effective. :)

The one with hating motorcycles

They really get to my nerves. Either they drive and pass thru needle-like lanes and speed up when they think they've swerved so bad, they almost hit the cars. And worse is you can't run after them since you can't do what they can do. One time, a motorcyle driver swerved on our lane and i knew he was so close to getting hit from our car. My husband honked furiously and you know what? the guy stopped right in front of us...just like that. he stopped for no reason at all. he just wants to piss off my husband and we can't do anything coz we cant speed up as much as he did when he drove again. grrrhh...

Another incident, our friend who is a motorcycle driver met an accident too. He was hospitalized for days and seeing his pictures in FB, he was gravely affected. Im not sure if there's a motorcycle accident attorney who could help him file a case against the one who hit him. I actually dont know the whole story. I don't even know if our friend is a fast driver and someone like those whom i hate. ahehe. but one thing is for sure, i really dont like motorcycles.

The one with a lot to blog

It's 1am in the morning. I don't want to sleep yet as my mind feels like documenting a lot of things and is commanding my fingers to type whatever i think of. I have a list of my to-do blog articles and here's a rundown of some:

~ our life in 2009 - what basically transpired and a summary of what happened during the year that passed

~ our disney on ice pics - first time to watch it. simone's experience of it and many realizations related to us watching it

~ plans for partyboosters and dresscode businesses (sooo excited!)

~ our travel plans for this year (yipee!)

~ simone's 3rd bday :)


which of this will i blog about first??? let's see...

The one with a new member

I'am bursting your bubble if you're thinking that a bun is on its way...hahaha...

We got our first blessing last December 28, just right after christmas and before new year. what a way to welcome the year. we are so thankful that God gave us this blessing for us to be able to expand our business and be able to learn how to be good stewards of His blessings too. :)

We prayed about this for quite some time, had some doubts, anxieties and all other mixed emotions. But we ended up feeling more excited and confident that this new step is a good one for our family. It may be just a material blessing but it holds true that this is a step of faith.

Thank you Lord. Welcome to the family, Vin! :)

On the other hand, we had to bid goodbye to our old car. When we handed him over to his new boss, i really felt sad but keeping him will be really impractical for us. I even talked to him while i was driving him for the last time and i thanked him for the service he provided for us. i know that it sounds crazy but Excellent was our car when we started partyboosters and he drove me to all my parties and carried all our party items, despite of his old age and sedan make. i thought i'd get those online life insurance already since we'd drive him anywhere and everywhere without making sure that the car is ready for long trips. but he never failed me so he was still the best :)

The one with the 36-second headshots

When i get to bloghop, i always see my balloon set-ups and other party items availed from us from my clients' blogs, sites, etc. But seeing my own picture taken during a client's party takes it to a whole new level. hahaha. got so psyched seeing the pics posted by Ging Lorenzo (one of my favorite photographers) in her blog. thanks ging! super nice pics talaga. a teaser for everyone...hihi...

more pics in her site. this will really go to my FB. haha. im just waiting for her email.

The one with just her

no matter how i try to be in denial that you are becoming of a little girl and leaving your babyish life, i simply won't be able to stop it. and here are some proofs of why not stopping it is something to always look forward to. i love you simone!

Christmas 2009

I still can't believe that christmas is over. i wish everyday is christmas. hehe. as simone grows older, she's enjoying the holidays more than the previous years. she appreciates more the gifts that she got, she sings christmas songs now, she gives food and/or money to christmas carolers, and she's just as excited to spend more time with mommy and daddy. we got more pictures this year and here are some:

first stop: the fermins. since we live near to both our families (which we really prefer), it's easy for us to spend the christmas eve with both of them. we decided to forego with our own set of full christmas meal and prepared just a simple menu this year since we'd always pig ourselves out when we come over to our parents' houses.

simone's hands were at the back of her grannies. man, she really knows her way to the camera?! as in she hugged her grannies para nga naman maganda sa pic. hahaha. i wish there were Dolan designs light to make this picture more clear.

sa amin naman sya hindi tumingin. hahaha.

strutting her fingers on the piano. cool.

and then clapping to her own performance...

next stop: the tans. :) my sisters in law paraded their own specialties and i'm so proud of them, they're all good cooks!

achie always gives the best gifts for simone. it will always be something that simone does'nt have yet and turns out that simone will really like it. this magnetic board, simple but simone loooves this so much. and napaisip nga ako why i did'nt buy one like this way before pa. hehehe.

we were'nt able to take more family pics where we were at the Tans but nonetheless, we had so much fun. :) we had a christmas party, as in with games, raffle and exchange gifts. so much fun having to see justin and simone played "stop-dance". cuteness!

Merry christmas everyone!

The one with row 4

Time flies so fast...yeah we all say that all the time but you know, it really does fly so fast. We celebrated our 4th anniversary last december 22 and can't help but be amazed that we are on our 4th year. Feeling ko lang kasi talaga newlyweds pa rin kami eh. haha. seriously!

We also wondered and realized that as we get to celebrate our anniversary every year, we receive lesser greetings each year. haha. not that we have less friends than before but i guess christmas season is so near that you'd forget any event "not related" to you and/or people just forget. haha. but what's more important is that we never forget to spend it together. :)

We spent our day with Simone. It's my first official holiday break and we headed to the mall to have family bonding time. we spent the day shopping! hahaha. we bought gifts for our families, ate and just had some good christmas-anniversary date :)

I got another LC bag this year. Well, our gifts for each other would always make a christmas/anniv gift. actually, i was teasing simon to buy me matching bag and wallet this time. he was the one who chose the design which was good and at the same time made me a little worried that i might not like the design. hahaha. im sorry, guys are guys! what do they know about bags?! but it came as a surprise that he picked a very good one. nice beh!

thank you for all those four years of marital bliss. and when i say bliss...it really does feel like it.

thank you for always making me feel like i'm still holding my wedding bouquet. i love you...

The one with a new year

Happy new year!!!

I've got lots of great stories to share and pictures to post. i hope to get to update you guys with everything. It's a good 2010 and let's declare that this year will be a prosperous, healthy, and joyous year for all of us. :)

I plan to give a quick 2009 summary of our family. it would be nice to reminisce what transpired over the year: how simone has grown a year older, how i turned the big 3-0, how our families get together every month, and so much more. will post something about that later.

in the meantime, im working on compiling the pictures i'd like to post here and share with you. i was browsing over some picture albums and can't help but wonder why my pics five years ago looked like i just availed a college student loan or scholarship and that i looked so innocently angelic. hahha, that's an over-statement. and now, im so fat, i look older than my age. well, that's what i think...hmmm...

The one with his wishlist

Yeah, somebody's christmas came in early!!!

Simon's newest addition to his collection of gadgets

I never debated against on anything that he has ever wanted for christmas. After all, it's one of the rare moments that we give in to our wishlists and i know he deserves it. Well, he wanted the newer version, PS3 but he thought that this will do and it's more practical anyway. I love that we play Dance Dance revolution with this. And hopefully, it will help me lose some pounds. haha. When he called me and told me that he already ordered my gift for him (haha, so funny!), it was like hearing birth announcements from an eagerly-waiting first time father. hehe, he was just so ecstatic about it. congrats beh!

Now...what do i want for christmas??? hmmm...

The one with really got sad

It just sunk in...I really am fat...The thought just sunk my fat brain and i really felt sad.

I was trying some dresses for emily's wedding and it's the first time i felt that nothing as in nothing fits right. even if the dress fits, it does'nt look good and i did'nt like what i saw. i got depressed knowing that i don't have the same bod, that no matter what i do, it's so hard to lose weight. I know i never had a slim, slender frame. I know i've always been blessed with hips, legs and behind. Ive accepted those things when i was still in high school. Fitting jeans take a whole day for me. But now, it just struck me that Free size shirts are not in my closet anymore...that when i try to fit blouses, i'd have to start with Large and i'd dread fitting an XL blouse.

This is also the first time i talked about this concern with my husband. (well, considering this is the first time i felt bad about it too) My husband took it as a surprise that it took a toll on me. He always sees me as a confident person and someone who knows how to handle herself, even if with a "little" weight gain. When i told him about it, he asked me what i wanted to do with it (well, men, men, men...they're after results and solutions) and he asked me if this is the time that we should start considering options like weight loss diet pill, or herbal teas, or Xenical. Karamba! i think i might start with the herbal tea like Bigerlai. I read about this from our n@w forum and im seriously considering starting with this one. I just hope it works. Oh with the christmas holiday coming...

The one with so close

Last week, I thought we're gonna have to replace our old car after being towed by MMDA where in fact we are AAP members (AAP is a towing company like Wheelers Club etc.) and had to pay double for the expenses and the towing fee. I felt the "this is it, we're gonna buy the Revo" feeling. But days after, for some reasons, we came back with the "maybe this is not the right time" feeling. We felt more right saving more for a newer vehicle or maybe when the time comes that we really need one for the business. you see, if we buy a bigger vehicle, one of the reasons (aside from saving the inconvenience of rv repair) is to expand our small party planning business. And what way to do that is to invest in another venture, say our own food carts or our mommy-daughter clothing line (which we will launch early next year by the way). So that being said, we'd have to shell out more money for that. So we decided to save a little more, work a little more until we're concrete and sure of our plans. :)

We're doing it right, yeah???

The one with pretty hectic

December is coming pretty hectic already. This first week will be popsie tony's 60-something birthday and friday is justin's 2nd bday which we will celebrate the following day. We'll have dinner with the Tans tomorrow and my parents will go there really early. you see, both are dads are really good talkers. They loooovee to chat and they never ran out of things to share. When I celebrated my birthday last august, my father in law told me that he had so much fun that even if he had coffee that night, he had a very good night sleep. as in, he was so proud he did'nt wake up in the middle of the night. So when daddy tony had a hypertension episode the other day and the medicare supplement did'nt work and they had to bring him to the hospital to have him checked, I told my mom to spend more time with daddy tony and mommy alma. I'm sure both sides will benefit as my parents needed to share things with other parents too. Not that they dont' have other friends, but it would help if they always have someone to talk to right? I'm pretty sure there's a connection and we need some unwinding once in a while.

The more reason why i'm so excited with bohol...hmmm...

The one with bohol escapade

Okay, the previous post was a little burst of emotions, let me give a lighter feel of this blog by talking about our plans for simone's 3rd bday. You see, i'm a party planner. That's what i do and i love it! But my husband and I agreed on not throwing another bash for simone until she's 7 (okay, maybe 5 or 4 pwede pa? hahaha) so while we're waiting for it, we'd spend her younger bdays on rather a smaller party or a trip. And we are just glad we'd spend her 3rd bday on a bohol trip with both our parents. There are several reasons why we wanted this trip:

First, we wanted to have a first family out-of-town trip(Tagaytay and bulacan don't count). Simone has'nt ridden a plane yet so this one will be perfect. It's domestic flight, thus, shorter flying hours and would still come out cheaper compared to an international trip. (although im still crossing fingers for it. hehe)

Second, we've always wanted to treat our parents to an all-expense paid trip. It has always been our dream to treat them (all four of them) to an out-of-town trip and then an out-of-the country trip someday. as in! They're not that young anymore and they've sacrificed a lot for all of us, we just thought that this is just a small way of making them happy and get a little adventure once in a while. we thought of boracay first because boracay is still boracay, no matter how you put it. And we have our complimentary room that can save us about 10k but i think they needed a more serene and relaxing trip so what better place than bohol?! Our trip will be exactly what i had three of four years back. We will stay in Bohol beach club, do the half-day tour and just relax and enjoy the beach. I wanted us to try the Cebu sidetrip but the lolas fear the ferry rides so we'd stay in bohol the whole time. We're all psyched about it! I wanted to surprise them with a little note or something but we had to know if all our schedules would match so we had to ask and they had to know. haha. but they got really excited too.

I'm just a little sad that our sisters and brothers won't be with us on the trip, we'd probably have a pre or post bday celebration. I got the 777 PAL promo that got us for 800.00 per ticket. I think that's a good deal considering it's a new aircraft and they have free meals too. :) I've also reserved the resort already and we're locked with the old rates. goody!

I'm just excited!!! :)

The one with turning three

Whenever holiday season is nearing, one more thing slips my mind and that's in two months time, my little girl will be less little again and more of a kid already. She's turning three in february and the emotional burst is coming early this time.

Here's a little scribbling of a letter i have for her:

Dear Simone,

Turning three is just three months away baby and i know that even if say that you're not a baby anymore and that your cousins justin and neyo are the only ones who are babies, to me, you'd always be one. You've grown so much and i know i can't stop it. I'm glad I can't because I love to see how you unfold to become someone God wanted you to be.

When you were a baby and you were so fragile, i'd always wish that you'd grow a little faster, and that you're not as fragile as a glass. When you turned four months, I was just glad you're stronger and can sit, lift your head, babble and make faces. I'd just wished I would have known how you felt, what you wanted to say or what you wanted to do so that everytime you cried, i did'nt have to guess what you needed at that time. And I was glad when before you turned one you learned how to do signs and we communicated. You learned how to talk before you turned one and everything was a lot easier coz now i know when you wanted milk, if you wanted to eat or if you wanted to play. And then i wished you'd walk soon so that then i don't have to hurt my back everytime i hold your hands for at least 30 minutes without you getting tired. And two months after, you learned how to walk. And we were all so happy because we won't have to hold you for so long. And then i wished you werent so energetic and hyper that we'd have to run towards you everytime, follow wherever you go. Then suddenly time flew faster, you instantly turned two and now you're almost three. I will always think of something that i'd wish for you but i thought to myself, everything is just happening so fast, all i could wish for is that i'd be able to do everything right for you. That i won't miss any opportunity to become a good mother, a good teacher, a friend, and a playmate. In no time, I know i'd be writing a letter to you turning 7 but i'd cry a bucket of tears over that later. In the meantime, let me cherish this time that you are still my almost 3-year old baby.

Simone, thank you for being the daughter that you are. Sorry if mommy snap sometimes, mommy and daddy had to teach you a lesson. Sorry if mommy gets so tired at times when you still wanted to play. Sorry if mommy forgets to read to you and you just open the book by yourself and pretend you're reading the book to keep you amused. Sorry if mommy gets angry when you jump up and down the mattresses and you hit your head on the wall. It really makes mommy worried.

But thank you for being the little spoiled pa-cute girl we know. We love spoiling you, i know we'd have a hard time disciplining you but what the heck, it's worth it! and we've always loved how pa-cute you are, looking at the mirrror, posing like a model and trying mommy's sunglasses, shoes and shirts. you are sooo cute! thank you for always saying i love you even if you don't have to. Thank you for learning how to say "excuse me" when you needed to pass. Thank you for saying "sorry" when you accidentally hurt mommy or daddy. It reassures us that somehow we are doing the right thing as parents.

We love you anak :)

The one with teaser photos

I'm not even sure if someone will be teased (harhar), but here are some blog entries that you might read about in a few more days (after this weekend, i promise to blog again). We are just so excited!

yeah baby, bohol for simone's 3rd bday it is! :)

our Sunday family bonding day at Manila Ocean Park (for days that i don't have parties, we really make the most out of it)

Happy weekend everyone! :)

The one with prodigy

The words gives me goosebumps. I don't think my daughter is a child prodigy.

When I posted the video about a week ago in facebook, multiply and here in my blog, i got a lot of pretty good comments about how amazing simone is that she can play the piano at her young age. I too am amazed. I think she is really blessed to be given the heart of music that we have prayed for her ever since i was carrying her. God told us to be specific in our prayers and I thought i was specific with that, well, along with other wishful traits like her being fair-skinned, hahaha. (got that one answered too!)

But just like what i wrote in this entry, she's not a child prodigy. She's blessed with a heart of music which hopefully will turn her to be a passionate musician one day. We promise not to pressure her on anything, we'll just continue to encourage her and open more opportunities for her so she'd know what she would like when she grows older. I think letting your child explore her world really helps. If not for Simon letting her play on his clavinova, she would'nt be able to learn the song. If not for mommy letting her play on her pricey make-ups and powders, she would'nt know that there are different colors in a palette. If not for all the mess that we make whenever we paint, or draw, or cut papers, she would'nt know the shapes and all the colors around her. The mess is all worth it. The endless cleaning (of ate maru) is all worth it. Yes anak, we will be there to guide you as you explore your world and no matter what it takes, it's all worth it. Even if that thing would make me learn how to burn fat like when you ask mommy to run in circles as fast as she could, i would do it, as long as it makes you happy. :)

So yeah, she's not a prodigy but she will become somebody someday... somebody to mommy and daddy and to everyone who love her dearly :)

The one with christmas shopping

I went to a couple of toy and clothes sales recently. I wanted to avoid the christmas rush plus the good deals from the toytown sale is just irresistible. I was able to buy really nice toys for nephews, nieces and some godkids. Another sale that i was able to go to was the gingersnaps sale. I go here every year and this year, I went with simone and was able to buy really nice clothes for her and for some for my nieces. Clothes are down to 100 each up to 200. super good buys! I almost got my phone lost due to excitement, thought i locked it but turned out i had an unlocked phone accidentally lying under a pile of clothes and a man almost got it. whew. So another advice: don't bring a kid when you know you'd go nuts from all the clothes sale...hahaha.

Happy christmas shopping everyone!

The one with biggest milestone

This made me cry...It's an amazing milestone that at 33 months she can play the song Twinkle, Twinkle star. Simon was actually surprised that he was just pointing which keys to play but simone was the one who decides how many times to hit the keys. ain't that cool or what?!

Love you simone! we are just sooo proud of you!

The one with second ultimate wish

You know what my ultimate wish is, and that's our own home :) But since we're still saving up for it and might take more time than expected, another wish that i have is a brand new van. :) I think i really need one for my business and that our car, although very reliable, i can really feel that it's getting really smaller and smaller for us. When we go out, puno agad yung back with all of simone's things. And moreso, when i have events, I'd always cross my fingers and hope it won't go overloaded or something. I had to rent a van on some weekends since i really need a bigger transportation.

I know we can do it. :) i really do. i know God will help us buy one. It's just that we need to prioritize which of our ultimate wishes we need to save up for one first. hmm...tough decision??? What made it harder was when i saw a showroom and saw all the Mopar parts from SUVs, jeeps, vans and other big vehicles. man, i want one! My brother asked me, "can you drive a van?!" i answered back, "kuya, kung si babes nga na-drive ko, i can drive anything." Babes was my first second-hand car. 1982 Toyota cressida. She's old but well-maintained, a classic and I'm not ashamed that she's my first car coz i learned everything thru her. And i bought her from my own hard-earned money when i was 22. :) o diba?! :)

All in God's time.

The one with the christmas air

October 28, 2009, it's the 37th wedding anniversary of my in-laws. We had a simple dinner and my parents were there to join the dinner. I had fun seeing them four together, getting along and having a good chat. I know not all mag-balae have that kind of relationship and we're blessed to have that. :)

We pitched in for the food, had someone catered, small order lang naman but at least we did'nt have to wash the dishes and everything was on a chaffing dish. :) We had sparkling drinks, cake and a good laugh. When we were about to go home, i felt it. I smelled it. The crisp of christmas air. The soft cold breeze in my skin and the scent of christmas around the corner. And i'm just so happy. I know that we all went through a tough time after ondoy but there are more things to be grateful for and that Christmas will always come. I felt relief.

To feel the Christmas more, we are almost done with our Christmas decorations. Yesterday, we bought the decors, changed the lights for our optic christmas tree and decorated our living room. nice, really nice. :) simple but rock! i had to move the tv stand though since i needed to give more space for the christmas tree. :)

Merry Christmas everyone!

The one with more about the medical insurance

Well, im not promoting anything what my dad in law is offering but the one that i got from him was really a good package. It's a medical insurance with pension after your 10-year insurance lapse. i think it was an impulse decision but i also felt i needed one. Imagine, it secures your hospitalization, check-ups, dental discounts, and other laboratory and physical examinations. plus, you get some cash after some time. cool right? so if you want to know more about it, just buzz me :)

The one with twerty

My eyes caught the Tv commercial of a vitamin that's said to be "age-deceiving", meaning you'd never need to lie about your age if you take your vitamins. one part of the scene says, "i'm thirtyish..." and i remembered this exact line when i was asked by a bank teller how old i was and i effortlessly answered, "twe...rty" hahaha...i was set to answer 29 but was able to hold myself back and tried to pull back my answer to correct it to a thirty. so funny.

I did'nt make a scene when i turned 30. in fact, i was so nonchalant about it that i really did'nt mind if there were numbered candles of 3-0 in my cake. :) But as months was passing by after my birthday, i realized that hey, im not really in my 20s and that there are really some things that i need to do for myself as this goddess-like body and face will soon fade. (eehhh, who the heck am i kidding?!)

but seriously, i started to watch what i eat. it's been two weeks that i've been controlling my rice intake and i'm taking it a little at a time but im getting there. I also started to seriously put on sunblock, eye creams and moisturizer. i know, it's starting to really sink in! and just a while ago, i got a medical insurance policy from my dad in law. haha. i need to secure my medical needs and when i read something about short term health insurance NC in the net, i started asking my dad about it and he offered me one.

Am i growing up or what???? hehehe...

The one with trick or treating

As a kid, I was never able to do this. I thought we were'nt allowed since our faith did'nt believe in halloweens, etc but who says we can't have fun. Now that i have a kid, I wanted her to enjoy just a bit during this costume-filled time of the year. :)

Simone was Minnie mouse last year. This year, I wanted her to be a pirate but since we were pressed for time with the costume (ironic as it is, we make costumes and yung sa amin mismo, rush order, hahaha) I bought one for simone during GMA's trick or treating. She was monster bride. I thought she really looked cute with her black and white dress. It came along with a veil but she did'nt want to put it so yeah, we settled with the dress instead. It was hard to put the dress at first as she was really fussy and crying at the top of her voice. kakaloka. but when she warmed up already, she did'nt want to take off the dress anymore and enjoyed the trick or treating to the max. we had tons of candies, her pumpkin was so full already, i think we needed a bigger plastic bag. hahaha. I think next time, i might have to try a girly costume for her. Although personally, im not into the fairies' costumes, ahehe. i love girly stuff, minsan lang, para maiba naman :)

The 2nd trick or treating we had was at the Podium. When we went there last year, we came in a little late na so we were'nt able to fill up the pumpkin, so this year i came prepared. haha. i have a 6pm party then so i asked my staff to go ahead of me so they can start with the decors already. I had to be a mommy first. Simon was with us and so was my mom. My mom loves and enjoys trick or treating. bet she wished she had done the same thing for us, although come to think of it, wala pa ata ganun nung time namin. hahaha. fine! so she was pirate already in this trick or treating. the costume made by mom in law was really nice. sayang lang wasnt able to buy boots to go with it and i forgot to bring her closed shoes so she was wearing lang her sandals. yikes. and we can't put the belt coz her tummy is so "all-out" that we can't lock the belt. hahaha. next time, aayusin ko talaga costume nya para the best ito, or siguro something simpler.

Again, we had a hard time putting the costume on but the minute she saw the kids, she warmed up already. And the minute she saw justin, she was sooo ecstatic na. She did'nt remove her white blouse until the day after. hahaha, oa. Another best thing about this was the instant fat burner from all the walking i had to do. hahaha.

Happy trick or treating everyone!

as always, pics to follow...