The one with enchanted once more

As part of GMA Network's annual family day, we were treated to another Enchanted Kingdom experience.  It gets better and better as Simone's getting older as well and it's becoming more of an enjoyable experience for her.  The only downside maybe will always be the weather.  If it were a little cooler, I would have stayed the whole day there. haha.  I wish there are mist fans with water feature everywhere, enough to give the whole venue a cool breeze.  But overall, WE LOVE IT! who would'nt?! 2,400 worth of wizard money for food and souvenirs, free breakfast and unlimited rides! wohoo! This year we tried go kart. haha. it was fun. We got the 2-seater kart and Simon was telling me how hard it was to steer the wheel.  And then i thought "maybe it was because i'm heavy" hahaha.  I was able to catch the whole 10-min ride with our videocam.

Here are some pics i got from our friend's camera and my husband's:

this might be how our kids will look like...in matching outfits! haha

enjoying carousel

i look like shrek here. hahaha

the stuffed cat that looked like a bear. bwahaha. won this on a balloon game.

my girl :)

The one with first day of school

It's Simone's first day in school. She's now a kindergarten and I did'nt even worry about her if she'll have a good time or not.  I had to make sure if her class is just two hours or three hours already.  hahaha.  And when she went home, I'm glad she has adjusted well with having a new teacher and being a kindergarten.  She even taught me how to shout "Kindergarten Rocks!" hahaha.

I can say I'm less prepared this year for her first day.  Maybe because i'm not a first-time school mom anymore.  Instead of having name plates at QuickNameTags.com, i just went to SM and had personalized stickers for her books and things. I was also late in submitting the ID pictures but I'm just glad we were able to give it today so my penalty just amounted P75.00. haha, bad mommy!

Happy first day anak! Enjoy your school!

The one with improvised drum set

Who would have thought that the basement i used to put all our house trash has been transformed to a semi-music room.  We have an old drum set and Simon assembled it and tried to use the drum set as his exercise activity.  He set up equalizers, speakers and turned on some good music accompanied by him playing the drums. well, he's not even a drum player but it only goes to show that he's really a musician.  (even his exercise activities had to be music-related) hahaha

The one with crafty simone

I find it so cute that Simone loves the arts.  Right now, she's more into crafts and when she saw my box full of accessories and what-nots of how to make accessories, it became her instant activity at home.  She was able to make necklaces for me, and bracelets.  The craft supplies encouraged her to be more creative and even if it's not the professional type of accesories, i love that she's proud of all her works :)

The one with milk tea

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

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

The one with gardening

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

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

The one with foosball

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

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

The one with business idea

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

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

The one with frames

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

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

The one with pool and other facilities

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

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

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

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

The one with the vacation kwento (hotel and resort)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More stories and ratings to follow. 

The one with mother's day

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

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

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

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

The one with moving in tips

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The one with everything here

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

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

The one with breakfast nook

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

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

The one with kid number 2

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

The one with financial talk

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

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

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

The one with new businesses

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

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

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

The one with serious game

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

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

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

The one with house repair

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

Goodluck to us...really...

The one with movers and packers

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

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

The one with 32nd bday

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


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

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

 the birthday boys -- simon and brian

 pretty girls

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

fun, fun!

The one with moving out

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

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

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

The one with summer pics

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

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

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

 kayaking sa shore. hahaha

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

 the tans

 the fermins

 priceless moment

 my beautiful mom :)

 husband feeling coco martin

 gabi na swimming pa din haha

popsy so happy with breakfast buffet :)

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

The one with Israel Houghton

It was...surreal.  I thought of these words like when Hugh Grant saw Julia Roberts in Notting Hill.  And it really was surreal.  Seeing him and watching his concert here in Manila last April 21 was one of the highlights of my week.  It was as if I saw a celebrity and i was star-struck.  Their music was just awesome and inspiring.  It was moving in a way that they can only perform.  God has really gifted this man one heck of a talent.

The dj with them was so good in mixing everything together, but planet shaker's sound tech was better.  Good thing their musicality was so unique, nothing can be compromised and everything was just so worth it.

Until now, i'm still lost for words and just so blessed to have been able to watch it. :)

The one with rat control

We recently bought a pest shield equipment we found at SM department store.  I'am so bugged with the houserats that kept going in our house because they have found a hole or a drainage maybe that we can't get thru in (so we'd be able to cover it) because it's behind a cabinet.  i hate those rats! eeky i know but i only found one small and one medium-sized one. eewww!!! anyway, the pest shield is supposed to shoo them away because of the vibration it emits. so far, we plugged the shield for four days now and i have'nt seen the two rats again.  They've destroyed a part of the kitchen door as well since the kitchen door didnt have a kick plate, the rat was able to mu

The one with another good find

I got a good 100USD from my paypal and as you may all know, my paypal money goes directly to any item of my liking, be it a practical buy or a luxury, and this time i spent on the latter. hehe.

LV Malletier vintage wristbag

I got excited when i found this and i know i can't let it go immediately.  I thought about it for two weeks and prayed if it's ok to buy one.  When i saw my pay went thru paypal already, that's when i decided to buy it. yey! i love it coz it's so vintage. I'm not so much of the monogram design but it has been well-preserved, that's why i think it's really a good buy.

well, my husband would never understand...i'm just glad he learned to accept that side of me.  And i don't have a fetish, so starting to collect some of these is actually, in a way, fulfilling :) hihihi....

The one with school party

 Simone with BFF Aliya

 cake and cupcakes from sugarbox; cookie pops by sweetbite

The good thing about holding a school party is that you're sure of the attendance because it's a school day and all her classmates are there.  It's practical if you dont want an all-out party but at the same time make your kid special because you still had a party with friends she know.  I just hired a balloon twister as an entertainment and ordered cake and cupcakes (oh by the way it's a gift, haha)

happy bday again simone! we love you anak!

The one with Simone's 5th bday pics

These are some of the pics we took from Simone's 5th bday celeb. :) Thank you tita jane for the wonderful cake. We hope you had a great time :)

The one with picture match

Simone loves to take pictures and one time, we had a great time with our ipad pictorial:

Look alike right? hahaha.

The one with magician's hat

One time, Simone was answering her assignments.  There was this page about clothes you wear on different kinds of weather.  Here's the page:

She got everything right: raincoat, cap, boots, umbrella, and jacket.  When i asked what the black hat is for, she exclaimed: "For magic show!!! because it's a magician's hat!" hahaha. LOL!

This is what you get when you are a party planner's kiddo! :)

The one with awards

Yes, Simone's first moving up day ended last March 17 and we are so happy with the awards she got.  We were so clueless about the special awards so when it was announced that there's a special awards part, i suddenly got nervous. hahaha.  It felt like I was waiting for an Oscar award for Simone.  Then i suddenly thought about my parents, especially my mom, and wanted to ask her how she felt whenever i had to get an award for something. haha.

It's very rewarding as a parent to see your child gets awards, but on the same breath, you'd realize that it's just the first year...there's more to come.  I mean, I have this conscious effort not to pressure my kid of doing good in school so she'll have more awards or excel in everything but to teach her that these awards are results of you trying your best but whether you have an award or not, you'd have to remember always that what's important is you did your best. :) I hope it got thru to her.  You see, I notice that she has this concept of "competition" in her already, the concept of "winner-lose" and it's a little challenging how to teach these things to her so she'd have a better perspective of things.  I just hope and pray that we're doing the right thing.

Keep it up Simone... we love you :)

 Best in English medal with BFF Aliya for Best in Math :)

 1st place in Penmanship :)

 with daddy

1st place in drawing

The one with summer getaway

Yey, i finally did it! I booked Canyon Cove for our family's summer getaway.  When i chanced again a promo at Ensogo, I told the husband that I really want to book one together with out parents and I got hyped coz this time he said yes. :) yahoo!  I've been wanting for a bohol part 2 for them (we treated them to bohol two years ago and they loved it so much, we wanted to do it again)  When Simon was paid from an extra project he did, I immediately put it on the summer budget. yey! can you feel my excitement now!?!

now the search for the perfect swimsuit begins...hahaha

The one with a booboo

Gawd, i really hate it when my kiddo gets hurt, moreso if it's an accident i could have prevented. She was sleeping on our sofa and while asleep, she peed.  I checked on her, removed her PJs and stood up to get a new one from her cabinet and seconds later, she rolled and bumped her head big time. Man, i was trying to be calm but deep inside i was big time in a panic mode. I felt her head and the bump was soo big, it's her biggest ever.  You could actually feel it getting bigger and bigger from the swelling.  She did'nt stop crying and that made me decide to bring her to a nearby hospital.  When we were there, she stopped crying and it was like she felt better instantly or maybe she got scared of the hospital so she tried her best to be okay.  Doctor asked for a skull xray just for our peace of mind and gave us a list of what to observe for the next 48 hours.  Manila East Doctors Hospital is quite good.  I did'nt expect they'd give me a list.  They were so detailed in explaining everything to me, one by one and I appreciated it.  Although to tell you frankly, the "what to observe" items got me nervous.  Imagine, convulsion and vomitting and fever?! oh my!

Praise God she's okay now.  I can still feel her bump at the back of her head but she says she's better now.

The one with frustration

Speaking of getting fit again, I remember meeting a client the other day for her son's baptism.  When I saw her, she's really pretty and fit.  I asked her immediately if she really intended to be back on her pre-pregnancy shape and she said she dances and i think does yoga too.  She even told me she has therabands at home.  I admire how disciplined she is and even if she ordered fudge sundae that day (which i envied so much), she's not scared it will add weight to her bod.

Oh how i wish i can be that disciplined... hehe.

The one with ketogenickers

Now let me talk about again my recently-found diet, ketogenic diet, which i started last August.  It's been a while since i blogged about my diet because i've been in a plateau for months now.  My momentum kinda lowered during the holidays and i even gained a little weight recently after Simone's birthday.  I got excited losing the 10 lbs that i forgot that there's still another 10 lbs more. waah.

Good thing, my friends Ayn, Con, Jeng and Rhea (mommy friends whom i regularly meet with) agreed to be in the diet regimen too.  I love our support group.  All of them are losing pounds and pounds every week, i got motivated to get back to my feet and restart my diet again :)

I also plan to use my Gold's gym voucher while i'm not yet pregnant.  I'm sure it will also help me get pregnant easily.  But I really want to lose weight first, be back to my pre-pregnancy weight just so i won't bloat that much when the baby tummy comes. hahaha.  Simon, on the other hand, wants to start something new.  He started getting more toned since he regularly does push ups and he bought a resistance band.  I wanted to do my share of sit-ups too at home and run my bike again.  My husband wanted to bike, as in the mountain bikes and whenever he sees yakima bike racks at cracksandracks.com, he would always think of buying a bike. hahaha. but it never materialized.

I hope this time around i'd shed the last 10 lbs in two months. come on, baby, go go go!!

The one with insurance

Every start of the year, there are at least three companies billing us with our renewal of our insurance policies.  There's the car insurance, our accident insurances and Simon's Philam insurance.  But it's a good thing, we're able to settle with the bills immediately as soon as it arrives.  It's such a waste if we can't update the account and won't be able to maximize it since we started paying for it already.  God really plans everything.  Every December, He gives us a lot of projects so we'd have something to pay for the insurance.  I think the only thing that we don't have yet is a motorhome insurance.  We'd probably plan for it when it's near to our moving in to new house. yey, excited! :)

Most of the time, it's easier if you don't really plan and leave everything to God...because you'd realize that His plans are still better and yours...hmmm, not so much. :)

The one with to get or not

I've been blogging about my trip itch in my previous post and I chanced upon this deal in cashcashpinoy about canyon cove's overnight stay.  I'am so tempted to get the deal for us and for our parents.  But if we're buying them too, a 3D-2night stay will cost us about 20k. waah! But it's still a good deal for an out of town trip since we don't have flight costs anymore, we'd save on that and food is reasonable enough as well.  We're basically after the beach.  If we're going for an overnight stay, I'm sure we won't be satisfied. haha. I'm like one of those profire yoyos thinking up or down, go or no?? waah...and I only have three more days to decide on this.  I actually bought 2 vouchers for us already but i'm still thinking if i'd want to add more for the parents.  hmmm...i'll pray about it. i really want them to have a good vacation.

The one with new old

I almost forgot to blog about Simon's new baby...he has a new old car. hehe.  He got himself a cool Toyota Corolla box type.  I think we got a good deal as the car was reconditioned with original parts just last year.  I got pretty hyped when i saw the car too and got excited for him.

Congrats beh on your new old car. I know you've been wanting to have your own matchbox and now that you have, i know you deserve it. :)  Now all you need is a commercial gps that you can install in your car so you won't get lost because we won't be riding the car always. hehe.

The one with space-saving stool

Simon and I were watching Lifestyle network and we chanced upon the show where they feature nice homes.  I really like the show, although most of the homes featured cost about a quater of a million dollars and they are proud to narrate the 1k savings they got from this or hundreds of dollar savings from another area.  haha, so ironic.

Anyway, i got a few ideas which we can use for our humble home in the future.  I love the rustic bar stools they featured that you can actually install on the table, you can fold it and you can sit on it.  Simon did'nt like it, fearing that it won't hold that much weight but i think if properly installed and with heavy duty materials, i think it's a good deal.  I also like the lavatory material steel they use for kitchen tables. so sleek and yet price-wise, reasonable enough. :)

Can't wait to get my hands on designing that house :) thank you Lord :)

The one with almost no pics

Jillian's mom called me last night asking for venue pictures that i might have.  I tried turning on my dslr and I got scared the dslr is not working anymore.  I think it's because of the drained battery that the shutter is not clicking.  But good thing, when i checked the SD card, i was able to get the pics i took.  I used a magnetic card reader that Simon has as one of his "handy" gadgets.  I was able to send her some pics. :) I'll post soon too :)

The one with emergency leave

Simon had to take a leave today.  Simone has been having  fever since yesterday afternoon and we're monitoring her.  When i had her checked yesterday with Dr. Lucena,  she told me that she might be down with a flu in the next couple of days and true enough, she has flu now :(

The only thing that stresses me a lot is Simone being sick.  I really don't want her getting sick and it pains me to think that she is not in her best condition.  I hope she gets well soon.  It's hard enough for her that she's taking medication for her primary complex, we can't give her any more meds as her liver might be overworked. But we're praying for her fast recovery :)  all in God's time.

If i can only be 24/7 lookout for her, if i can only be her "Off lotion" all the time, I'd do it.  Right now, i just wish i can turn the time of my citizen watch and advance it so she's be better off soon :)

Get well soon anak! The Winx club doll you've been wanting for the longest time is just waiting... :)

The one with party weekend hangover

It has been one heck of a busy February for me.  And to end the month more fun, I was Jillian Ward's party planner on her 7th bday last Feb 26. :) so much fun!  Thank you Lord for a successful party.  Thank you for the gift you gave me and for being able to maximize it the way you want it to. :)

I was so nervious and anxious on the day of her party. I was anticipating all the booboos that might happen that day.  But before the party began, God told me to just stop worrying about anything because everything will be alright...and it really did :)

Simon was there the whole time. You see, I and my husband have different fields and work and as much as possible we don't stress each other on our respective business/work.  We find it beneficial as we have a lot to talk about because we do different things, and we are each other's pressure and stress absorber.  That day, he was present during the party and I appreciated it so much.  He supported me the way a good husband would. :)

The following day, we were talking about the party and we are just amazed how God works and moves in our lives.  Who would have thought that the Php 2,500.00 seminar fee i paid as an investment is now a business who has catered to a child star's 7th birthday party?! God is really good, amazing!!!

More stories about the party, hehe. I'm just soo happy! Oh they did'nt give discount movies tickets but they (Jillian's family) sure did give Simone gifts! im soo touched! thank you! :)

The one with 7th bday preparation

From the year we celebrated Simone's 1st birthday, my husband told me that we cannot have a party ever year.  I agreed with him even though I so wanted to celebrate with a party every year.  That's why, after her 5th birthday, I've told myself that we should start saving for the party.  I'm plotting a goal of saving a specific amount every month for her birthday just so we won't be shocked with all the expenses we need to spend for the party. hahaha. If i can only buy gold bars online from Golden eagle, that would have been great and i could sell those gold bars and make money. hahaha. 

So far, I'm eyeing 55 events place as one of the venue choices, Mandarin hotel and Decagon. oh my! i wish we could afford everything!!! But definitely, a Starbucks booth is a must!!! haha.

im soo excited to start preparing for her party :)

The one with school party

We had a family outing for simone's party and a small school party on the day of her birthday.  She coined those celebrations as Disc 1 and Disc 2.  (it's obvious how addicted my kid is to videos, haha) And the school party was fun!  I'll post pictures soon but let me just share our little preps for her school party.

~Personally, i like school parties.  It's a small party but you can be sure that you have enough number of kids present.  Unlike house parties, you don't have to wash dishes.  House parties are okay if you have a lot of help or you have bosch dishwashers at home where you can easily wash and dry your dishes. haha.

~ It's also a plus that i have a good network of party suppliers where getting entertainment and give aways is literally a call away. :)

~ You also get freebies.  This year, im so happy that my sister in law gave a barbie cake to simone on our family outing and my good friend Emily of sugarbox gave her cake and cupcakes too for her birthday. I love it!! Now im soo carbo-loaded! hahaha

~  It's nice that i was able to get a balloon twister also to entertain the kids while they were eating

All in all, i give my husband and I a pat on the back for pulling it off.  My husband for being able to convince me to celebrate it the simple way and I for agreeing to do so but set aside some a part of what i was able to save to open an account for her "7th bday preps". hahaha, it has officially begun.  yes, we need to save up for it! it's non-negotiable!!!

Happy bday again simone!

The one with moving up

I'm excited for Simone's 1st moving up day on March 17. yey! my baby's moving up na.  I also love that they even have a theme for all the graduates. This year it will be 50's and I researched some outfits that might fit simone :) I'm also thinking of coming on a thmed outfit but i might overdo it. haha. Are Lowa hiking boots a 50's outfit too? :) I don't wanna overdo it and they might label me a momster!!!

Will update once i have decided on what simone could wear on moving up day :)

The one with instant shopping

We have a place where my friend and sisses go to whenever we want to shop for wholesale priced clothes and dresses.  You can also find shoes of all kinds, from flat shoes, cowboy ones, riding breeches shoes (as if i can wear those here) and the stilleto types.  But i opted to look for more dresses and tops that i can wear for meetings and events. 

I bought three dresses, and two shorts.  My sister in law bout a dress too and we found a dress that matches my other sister in law's bod so much.  We were surprised to see that the fit is so nice on her.

I will definitely go back to that place. :)

The one with good employer

I remember posting about our new househelp.  My sisters in law asked me about her and I immediately gave them a thumbs up that she is a-ok.  She's not the perfect househelp but we made sure she's gonna have fun too while staying with us.  We also asked her a couple of questions like undergoing thru an employment screening so we can also know what to expect from her.  She's not a good cook, that's for sure. haha. But her happy attitude is one of the reasons why we instantly liked her.

I hope my extra set of hands will last longer than expected :)

The one with MB

MB for Michael Buble.  I caught one of his concerts right now on TV and i almost forgot how refreshing and nostalgic his voice is.  It makes me turn the time like the turntables playing his song.  His voice is like amplified and processed but not.  He's really good and a passionate singer.  I can't remember why he's single now.

Simon is a musician himself and quite a good singer too.  I guess i can easily be turned on with guys who know how to really sing.

I hope Michael Buble makes another album. :)

The one with trip itch

I've been itching for a getaway this year! waah! i want to unwind and have a feel of fresh air before i get pregnant again (yes, feel na feel!) I know it will be a while before we can travel again as a family if i have another baby again (and we claim that this year will be the year!)

Cebupacific air offered another tempting promotion. P26 fare, with taxes it will reach about P800.00 for a round trip fare.  I was supposed to book cebu last night.  But when i asked the husband, he was okay with it but preferred a land trip in the meantime so both sides of the parents can join us.  I think he's right.  I told you, he's the more sensible one :)

So i have to buy the best sunless tanning spray there is so i can have a feel of the getaway that's been itching me for weeks. :)

Welcome summer of 2012!

The one with kenko

I have a new discovery...Kenko stores.  It's like a small-scale japan home centers but they focus more on home furnishings, personal accessories and lights.  I love how we were able to buy two new lamps (yellow and white) that we can use in the room. :)

Another good buy is the hair dryer i bought at 150 pesos.  I was kinda hesitant to buy it since it might short circuit but i still bought it.  So far, so good. haha.

I really, really love good deals, which reminds me i have to check the leather briefcase in one of the online deals i frequently visit. 

The one with house visit

We dropped by La Potenza two weeks ago and checked out the developments of the small community there.  The place is turning out to be a nice place to live in albeit the nearby villa caruncho residents who would stay in front of the gate everyday and would crowd the entrance of the village...eyesore!

When we were driving around the village, we saw a family with their things inside.  My husband got excited and asked me to talk to the mom.  I was hesitant at first coz i might be intruding their privacy but still asked anyway and it turned out, she was accommodating to answer all our questions and even gave us a tour of their unit. :) it's different when you see appliances inside and furnitures.  At least we can better visualize things around the house :)  she even gave us tips on what led lighting to buy and showed us the lights they bought to change the ones the developer put up :)

Sooo excited! thank you Lord and we pray for a smooth moving in hopefully before this year ends :)

The one with celebrating 13

Yehey, we've reached 13 years as a couple already! I consider it a milestone that we have been together for 13 years already and those thirteen years have been really the best years of my life.  Simon has always been my bestfriend, comforter, prayer partner and my most sensible other half.  I, on the other hand, is his number one fan, his fashion stylist, his confidence booster and financial assistant. (assistant because he brings home most of the bread and i just bake it and turn it to a buffet, hahaha)

I can say that we've been through mostly good times and a taste of not-so-good times.  We are forever grateful that God has always been the center of our marriage and that He is God's gift to me.  He is more precious than all diamond earrings for women combined.  :)

Happy 13th anniversary beh! I love you, and will always love you :)

The one with positive

How i wish i can write here, positive pregnancy right? that news would have been way better to read about.  But everything has a purpose.

Simone is positive with primary complex.  I blogged about the tb test done on her and it turned out positive.  She was given meds already which we started last February 2. 

Good thing she easily takes her meds.  We've also started our veggie program where i cook fresh noodles, make chicken broth (as in from real chicken) and add ground malunggay and carrots. She instantly liked it :)  So we don't have instant noodles anymore. yey!

We've also restricted ourselved to go to crowded places on the first two weeks of medication.  I heard from my husband that the first two weeks is the 90% healing phase so we're more careful on bringing her to places esp areas with cigars sampler, smokers or anywhere polluted and she might catch another virus or whatever. 

Love you Simone!

The one with soon to be five

I still can't believe that just a few days from now and my Simone will be five years old already. waah! She's not really getting any younger now and it makes me excited to see her grow but at the same time sad that a year just passes by and the next thing you know, you're shopping for her prom dress with her already. waah!

I'm glad and thankful God led me to where we are now.  I'm glad that He made me realized how important it is to be with your kid while she's growing up and leaving the corporate world was no regret at all. I miss being with my friends there but being with my daughter while she's growing just gives me more reasons to appreciate the time i spend with her. :)

And I feel more blessed that God really gave us the best of both worlds, me having to still work on my business and having a more flexible time to spend with Simone.

Her 4th year passed like a breeze.  But it's my favorite year so far.  Favorite because this is the time when she's not that "old" but not that baby anymore.  You can enjoy your time together like malling, shopping and just being with her.  You know she can understand you more so she knows how to follow instructions, obey simple household chores and reprimand her knowing that she understands what you have to say.  I also love the fact that she enjoys and thrives in school. Seeing her excited to go to school everyday makes me feel like i'm raising a smart kid.  To be honest, it's hard not to expect because she always gives us reasons to expect that she would excel, hehe. :)

Simone, I love you! Happy birthday anak. You will always be mommy's baby (even if you dont want to be called one anymore)