12/31/12

we will do better next time

A few hours from now, it is going to be a start of a New Year. I know I should put off blogging to anticipate this special occasion but I need to distract myself so I could cut down my trips to the table as everything on it seemed so tempting to eat that I could almost put off losing weight as my New Year's resolution.

Anyway, I intend to quickly write about what we did last weekend. My husband and daughter went to travel with me at my hometown. That trip, although it was a short one, was my chance to show them around my native land. The main reason that we were there, though, was to attend a reunion with my elementary batch. I had to bring them along since I hate to travel alone. Unfortunately, there were only a few attendees since most of our batch mates couldn't make it for a lot of different reasons. I thought we had it all planned out - from T-shirt souvenir printing down to the rest of the activities. Somehow, it was a little disappointing because I am the President of our batch and I thought I could have done better. Maybe we could have announced the reunion in many different forms. Perhaps a cheap yard sign printing with the important details of the event can also help to inform and to encourage our batch mates to show up. What do you think? Alright then, we will do better with our reunion next time!

I will leave you now to celebrate New Year with everybody in the house. Happy New Year, guys!

12/28/12

how we spent our Christmas

This year, because of another typhoon threat, we have put off traveling to my dad's place and spent our Christmas at our in-laws. I took this picture of my husband and daughter that one Christmas night at our in-laws' house.Daughter was still sleeping at the time I took this photo but husband woke her up so she can open her Christmas gifts. After that, we had our Noche Buena and then settled in the living room with the whole family for a karaoke session.


For the record, we have been living with mother- and father-in-law for about a year now and this is all for our little girl's sake. Now that we're working outside our home, we had to make sure she's in good hands before we leave. Anyway, this set-up is about to change early next year since we already got hold of one reliable nanny for her. She was my grandmother's caregiver for two years or so. Yes, hopefully, we get to stay in our own house again. I will definitely miss my wonderful in-laws who didn't hesitate about having us and our daughter in their home for a year.




12/14/12

a get-together on weekend

Come weekend, hubby and I are going to meet up with ex-office mates/friends. It's been awhile since our last get-together; so, we are looking forward to see their faces again. We are bringing our little girl along because our time on weekends are supposed to be hers alone.

Caught on camera, here's how our kid behaved at the dinner table with friends a couple of years ago.

she's happy here....


she's showing tantrums
completely bored and sleepy
Now that she has grown up, I hope she will enjoy being at dinner parties like this; although, I doubt that a bit especially if there are no kids around. I just hope that our friends would bring their kids with them when they show up to our get-together.

what did you wear to your prom?


Just today, I got the chance to look at my old photos during high school. Gosh, I thought I 'was' pretty and  cute at that time. Now, if you look at me today, cute is no longer a word to describe me and I almost wouldn't pass for 'pretty'. Notice that I said 'almost' because I have to believe that I am pretty in my own right so that I would still feel good about myself despite being trapped into a bigger body. :-)

Thankfully, even with this picture below, my little girl still recognized me and I don't know why because, with my size right now, I totally looked differently awful! So, I was surprised when she pointed at me wearing a black and flowery printed prom dress. 


At that time, we didn't have a lot of money to spend for a lavish outfit, so I settled for a simple dress to match my simple make up. I also remembered there weren't a lot of ready-made prom dresses that I find comfortable to wear. Good thing, a classmate recommended a dressmaker that didn't charge a lot.

For those moms with daughters who will be attending their proms next year, it should be a good idea to help them plan on what to wear as early as now. And if your daughter is somewhere around my size, she may want to wear a 2013 plus size prom dress. There are a lot of affordable, comfortable and stylish dresses there that can surely transform her into a prom queen.

As  a parent, I am also looking forward to helping my daughter prepare for her high school prom but it's too early to discuss it now because she's not even entered kindergarten yet. :-)

a happy December to all

December is the last day of the year and it is usually a busy month for most people, me included. At work, we would usually push ourselves to meet our deadlines especially because there are holidays to celebrate. Certainly, we don't want to be stuck in the office while the rest of our work mates are already enjoying and merry-making with their kids and family.

More importantly, December is a month to look forward to because this is a time when bosses show their generosity and appreciation to their valued employees. We are also excited to meet our old friends, to go to parties and reunions, as well as to give and to receive Christmas presents. Now, what do you have for me? :-)

A happy December to all of you, guys!

12/13/12

bumped into someone

At the toy store some weekends ago, I bumped into someone I later recognized to be a classmate back in college. I asked her what she does for a living and she just kind of told me that she's a print broker. I exclaimed "Wow! Big time, huh!" but actually I wasn't sure at that time and was ashamed even to ask about a specific job description. I wondered if it's a newly coined term or perhaps I fell asleep during our career orientation. I was sure I didn't hear about this before; so this must be something new. Anyway, I was glad to see her because I haven't seen her for ages. I was a little surprised to know that she already had three kids because she's so slim. I was a little envious that she was able to maintain her figure. When she asked me how many kids I have, I was somewhat embarrassed to tell her I am only a mother of one at the moment because I am more or less three times her size. Thankfully, she was polite enough not to say anything about my weight. Oh dear, I really must do something about this!

daughter's favorite Christmas song

Last night when we arrived from work, we found our daughter standing in front of the television watching and listening to CCTN Channel 47's (a local Catholic TV network) latest Christmas Station ID. She really couldn't help but sing along with the song "Christmas Is Meant To All", an original composition. She's been hearing it a lot of times a day lately that she already became familiar with the song's melody and lyrics. Like my daughter, I also love to listen to this song over and over again  and that's also because it sends a wonderful message, reminding us that Christmas is not just for the rich but for everybody.

Below is the song that I am talking about. You may want your children/kids listen to it and see how easy it is for them to  sing along.

11/22/12

fascinated with another musical instrument

I recently watched a concert aired on TV with my little musician in the making. She really enjoyed listening to the performance of an orchestra. I noticed that her eyes were glued more on one musical instrument - the cello. Cellos fascinate her since she thought it's the same as the guitar that she was able to hold the last time we went to my hometown for a short vacation. Definitely, I would not be surprised that one day she will ask permission to take short courses on a particular musical instrument. Whatever musical instrument that is, I just hope that we would be able to afford it. I guess I'll have to start looking around for ideas how much a cello, a violin, or an electric guitar would cost.

11/21/12

when will the baby come?

More often than not, people who entered married life long to have an offspring of their own somewhere within the productive years of their marriage. The husband and wife's longing and wanting to have a baby would even grow stronger  because people who are close to them also expect, and in fact  anticipate, that new addition to the family as soon as possible.  We cannot really blame them because they are just as eager as the couple to finally see them become parents.

Unfortunately, even if the couple is mentally ready and even if loved ones are also eager to see them entering that stage of parenthood, such mental readiness or eagerness just won't make any woman pregnant. The reality is that some ladies can have quick and unplanned pregnancies while some just keep "waiting for the stork" to finally visit them.

We can consider a lot of factors that would somehow give answers to questions as to why someone's wife can easily get pregnant while another else's would almost take forever to experience motherhood. Indeed, just as it takes two to tango, it also takes two (the couple) to get pregnant. In some cases, it would take more than just the two of them to bear a child and that's where science and medical intervention can help.

scared no more: giving pregnancy another thought

People close to us have already been asking if we are not planning to have another baby yet as our little girl might not enjoy the loneliness of being an only child later on. Right now, though, it's too early to tell if our daughter will complain about being an only child. Although we are aware that one is a lonely number, I am also wondering if she would be grateful of the fact that no one is competing with her against her parents' attention.

Today, as I am giving pregnancy another thought, I realized that I am not getting younger that by the time husband and I would decide on having another baby, it'd probably be too late. I thought that after what I had gone through with my first pregnancy and delivery, I would never consider getting pregnant again. However, after more than 3 years, I can honestly say today that I am already over with that pregnancy scare phase of my life as the thought of caring again for a newborn and having to wear nursing clothes would already bring a smile to my face. Then again, even though I have already overcome this fear of getting pregnant again, there are still some things that ought to be considered. Certainly, one of the considerations is on the financial demands that come with being parents to more than one child.

11/13/12

what it's like every morning

Here's a glimpse of what it's like every morning just before we would take off for work.


Our little girl is waving goodbye...
Such a sad scene to watch, I should say. 

Although she has already accepted the fact that her mama and papa has to leave everyday for work, she would usually wake up early so she can still have the chance to kiss and say goodbye to us. I wish she never had to watch us driving away to work everyday so she wouldn't feel bad.

What's giving me some peace of mind, though, even if we have to leave for work is because my in-laws are there to take care of her. We are definitely indebted to them for the unconditional love and attention they are giving to our daughter. After all this time, I still find it hard to leave my kid behind but I have to fight whatever awful feeling I have for leaving her to my in-laws' care for the meantime that we can't find anyone else we could trust our kid to. Both of us needed to work so we can successfully carry on our financial responsibilities as parents.

11/7/12

traveling with some great company

Before we decided to use the motorcycle in coming to work, husband and I would need to wake up early to avoid the rush hour and show up to the office on time. However, sometimes there are really bad days when both of us would not even recognize the sound of the alarm clock that we would end up skipping breakfast at home just to catch up with our usual schedule of commute. Fortunately, within those "bad days", we would often find ourselves being given a lift by our neighbor who drives his car to work. No matter how much we refused the offer to ride with him, he wouldn't take no for an answer. This act of kindness on his part meant a lot to us, though, because aside from the savings we enjoyed from riding for free, we were able to come to work early and leave early as well. This somehow gives us parents the extra time to be with our little girl. A couple of rides later, he told us that we were also doing him a favor every time we ride with him because he wanted some company when he needs to drive a longer distance. Husband and I told him that the car stereo would make a fine companion when he has to travel the long distance alone; however, we learned that he still needs to get his car audio equipment repaired. The last time we rode with him, though, we noticed that he didn't have it repaired. Instead, he got one of those car audio systems with touch screen feature and USB/SD slots. Totally wow! Since then, we had enjoyed great music as much as we enjoyed the lifts. However, the free rides had to stop since we were already riding the motorcycle. Anyway, he's got great company already.

11/4/12

a great song for dads

Last Friday, I was happy that we were able to visit my dad. It wasn't really a perfectly comfortable ride going to the place but the long trip was really all worth it as my little girl is also excited to see his grandfather again.

As my way of welcoming November in style, I found it fitting to share a great song going for all dads out there. :-) I was able to learn about this song when my husband was listening to it - something he unconsciously did after doing a few clicks on Youtube. For those who are looking for a wonderful song to honor their dads, then a Father's Love from Gary Valenciano is definitely a great choice!








10/31/12

on credit cards


One of our financial goals for this year was to keep debts at the minimum. In fact, as early as November of last year, my husband already suggested that we no longer renew our credit card after paying all our dues. I was actually hesitant about his suggestion because I thought it would be convenient to have at least one credit card so we can have something to use when there's an emergency expense or any expense that cannot wait until payday. Nevertheless, I gave in to his suggestion and cancelled our account. For almost a year now, we've done all our purchases in cash and in debit transactions through our ATM. It cannot be denied how convenient credit cards are, though, when it comes to online transactions, especially when booking for a flight or hotel accommodation. This is why I asked him again today if we can apply for a new one. Besides, I have already proven to him how careful I am with my purchases. :-) He seems to agree with me this time. News about identity theft cases is the only thing that's keeping him to say yes this time to credit cards and I have yet to convince him how contactless cards can effectively address this huge concern on security. Anyhow, this is not really something that we need to debate about. I would rather that we be without a credit card and live in harmony as couples should. :-)

loving my family

I realized it's been a while since I posted pictures of us here in my blog.

with my husband and my little girl

I think this was taken some months ago when my brother arrived from Abu Dhabi and he treated us for lunch at SM. Obviously, brother is not in the picture as he was probably the one taking it. Every time we go out as a family, I will always look for an opportunity to have pictures of us taken even though there are many times that I feel like I don't look my best. After all, it's a reality I have to face, right? It's definitely a good idea to have our life as parents captured in photos. I love my family!

10/30/12

husband's birthday dinner postponed

Today is husband's birthday. We were supposed to have a simple birthday dinner at our favorite restaurant today but decided at the last minute to postpone it so that we can go home immediately after office work is done. However, we realized that the water pipe at home needs to be fixed tomorrow. So, after remembering that the plumber is supposed to come back tomorrow morning after having inspected the cause of the problem, we had to stop at the hardware store to get one of those threaded inserts that he requested. Good thing we brought the worn-out sample, so it didn't take us longer than 5 minutes to get what we need. We are glad that we still made it home early because little daughter has long been waiting for the birthday celebrant to arrive.

10/28/12

scary or not

Lately, the theme of the stores at the mall is anything Halloween - from pumpkin toys to costumes and outfits. I already expected this somehow but what I didn't expect when I was paying at the counter was the look of the cashier. She has totally scared me but, after coming to my senses, I asked if I can take a picture of her. She happily obliged and even made some minor fix to her hair. She even volunteered her other co-employees to pose for me but they haven't returned from their break yet.


Oh well, I guess she's not really scary after all. It was only her makeup that scared me.


10/26/12

a musician in the making



My little girl is definitely a music lover. She loves to sing and to listen to many of today's popular songs. However, I remembered she was about a year old then when she didn't have good experience with music. This was the time when her regular naps would often get interrupted by one of our neighbors practicing with an electric guitar. I did not choose to complain over the loudness of the guitar attached to an amplifier, though. After all, the culprit is a kid rehearsing for an amateur band. Since this went on for nearly a month, I must admit that there were times that I wished the kid had rehearsed in a soundproof area of their house; or if not, his parents could have taught him to use the headphone jack when rehearsing especially if he is still trying to familiarize/master the part he is going to play. Thankfully, Dipdip already got used to it that she can now practically tolerate the sound of loud guitars and live bands. In fact, she'd happily dance or sing along. And whenever there's a 'karaoke' or singing session in the house, she'd like to have the chance to hold the microphone and to sing. Well, we've got a musician in the making!

10/12/12

little girl wants to play

Just this month, my husband accidentally broke the toilet seat at his parent's house. So, naturally, we needed to replace it.  We've been to several hardware stores already but, unfortunately, it seems like these stores ran out of beige toilet seats. Last weekend was our final attempt of buying the toilet seat replacement from another hardware store. We tagged our 3-year old along that day, by the way. Still, we weren't lucky to find any beige color. Thus, we were thinking of just getting the white one since the old seat needed to be replaced ASAP. To make up for the color mismatch, the salesperson in-charge was more than pleased to assist us that she went out of her way to demonstrate the best feature of the toilet seat they are selling - the rubberized feature. She took one from the shelf, put it on the floor and jumped right down at it several times with all her force and weight just to show us that it's hard to break the rubberized type of toilet seat. To make the long story short, we  were impressed and went on with our purchase regardless of the fact that it didn't match the color of the toilet bowl. When we arrived home, my little girl who had witnessed what the salesgirl did with the toilet seat at the hardware store happily asked with excitement if she can already play with it because she wants to jump on it! :-) Suddenly, I thought we shouldn't bring her along the next time we're going to the hardware store.

9/21/12

excited over kid going to school soon

As a mom, I am so excited over the thought of my little girl going to school pretty soon. Seeing her first cousins are already in preparatory school, she is now just as excited as I am. She is so looking forward to wear a school uniform, to get to know other kids at school, as well as to study. This will have to wait sometime next year. However, I still have no idea which school she will go to. Right now, we're starting to save up for this next phase of her life - being a school girl! I and her father have been looking for ways to have extra income so that we can afford to send her to school without having to worry about expenses. I am just surprised to hear how expensive it is nowadays to send our child to school, especially if you choose to let her go to a private school. Anyway, whether she goes to a public or private school, I want to make sure she learns all there is to learn. Apart from other things, I will make sure she is properly guided academically.

9/4/12

Improving Our Kids' Moral Values

As parents, it is our responsibility to mold our children to become what we want them to be especially in terms of their morals and values. It is always our hope that they would grow up bringing with them the right manners, attitude and behavior that is both pleasing to God and the community in general. This is challenge for most of us parents because they do not only grow up with us and the environment we want them to be in, they also grow with other people in a community which can also contribute towards shaping who they can potentially become one day.

There are many ways that we can improve our kids' moral values but the most proven way is to be the best example for them. As they grow, children would emulate whatever they see and hear from us parents.However, it is already given that we are not perfect. There will be times when we fail to become the best example for them. In this case, we can still be an example for them if they see that we have corrected our mistakes and we let them understand the consequences of these mistakes.

8/10/12

the discomfort of heat in the home

It is seriously getting hot, sunny  and uncomfortable here nowadays. I could not bring myself to complain much about this, though, as some parts of the country are experiencing flood and rain. I am just so grateful that the problem with heat can be solved by taking a good cold shower and perhaps a thirst-quenching beverage. Not all the time, though, I must say. This is just a temporary solution because, after a few hours, heat and perspiration would already set in. Phew!

Dipdip is learning how to use the fan
Seeing how some prices of the best branded air conditioners have gone down after finding some current specials online, I told my husband that it's time to consider getting an air conditioner in our room and having it installed. We are still currently discussing about this, along with some plumbing issues in our home. You see, right now, we've temporarily moved to our in-laws' place because we've sought their help to keep watch of Dipdip (now 3+ years old) while we are working. Anyway, we're taking this as a chance to be able to improve our home while we are not occupying it on a regular basis for the moment.

With the hot temperature these days, husband and I both agreed that getting an air conditioner is already almost considered a necessity. An electric fan could not fully address our need to have a cool temperature and a comfortable sleep. I learned it's not that expensive to buy a good one. In fact, I found one website about air conditioning, heating and plumbing business that offers coupons to avail of the best discounts on purchase of HVAC items. If only, we can use these coupons here. Anyway, I just took advantage of their free money saving tips about plumbing and air conditioning.

I must admit, however, that we are still debating on getting an air conditioner because this can definitely increase consumption of electricity. A rise in electric consumption would definitely mean footing the cost of a high electricity bill. Of course, this expense can be justified when you reap the benefits of a  hypertension-free, comfortable and restful sleep.

I told my husband that when we would already decide to get one for our home, we'll just remember to regulate and limit our use, making sure to use it only when we're about to sleep or only when the heat feels like it's just too much to handle. Of course, we need to run the timer so that it would automatically turn off after a good few hours - just about the time when we're already in REM.

Okay, I just realized it's a Saturday. It's the perfect time to sit down and discuss these things to my husband.

This post is brought to you by our friends from RS Andrews

signs of kids in the house


How can you quickly tell if there are kids in the house even before you get to meet them? That's easy. Check out the walls and doors for some tell-tale signs.

Stickers and more stickers of their favorite cartoon character - makes me wonder sometimes why they are so fond of them, as if I haven't passed that stage once. My mother-in-law has 3 grandkids of different ages. And this is how their door looks like now upon entering the house. :-)

6/8/12

she is a little grown-up

Time flies. Literally. My little girl is a little grown-up now. Each day she is showing signs that she wants to become independent. She wants to decide what to wear for the day - I thought I said these things a couple of times in this blog (excuse me my forgetful moments). Most of the time, she likes to wear a dress even when she's just at home. She also wants to eat on her own as she wants to show us that she already knows how to use the spoon for eating.

The list can go on. I am just amazed at her progress, although we still can't get her to drink milk from the glass or cup. LOL. Everyday, she tells me that she wants to go to school already; however, that would have to wait until next year as hubby and I are still saving up for the start of this new stage of her life.

Of course, she is also at this stage where she would love to own lots of toys. She wants to have toys from her favorite cartoon characters - from Winnie the Pooh to Dora (not necessarily in that order).

She got this from my aunt
Her latest obsession (I call it obsession because she'd been bugging me lately about this) are Barbie toys - from toy dolls down to toy cellphones and laptops. Actually, as long as she can see a picture of beautiful dolls, that's already Barbie to her. Good thing, I was able to get her a Barbie educational laptop online (from eBay) that didn't cost me much - I think it was more of a replica or something they call "Class A" - I am just not sure :-). Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of this new toy. Maybe on my next update.

Along with these developments, I'm happy she has already gotten over the fact that we have to leave for work on weekdays. Time was when my heart would break every time we would leave her to the care of my my very kind in-laws because her eyes and face were full of tears. It's funny and weird, though, because sometimes I would miss that moment. :-)


5/11/12

Indie Fashion Is Hot This Year

Note: This is a sponsored post for Sway Chic



Indie fashion is a very hot trend right now in the fashion world. My sister and I both love indie fashion because of the spring dresses that are lined up. They are very unique and comfortable.  If you want to look super hot this summer (and I don't mean from the weather), you should get some of these dresses into your closet as soon as possible. They are all beautifully made and come in a great variety of colors and styles. Don't worry if you think you think clothes that no one else does, dresses come in all different kinds and there will surely be some that fit your stylish needs. Make sure to go shopping with a friend! Everything is more fun when you can take turns trying on different clothes and seeing someone else's individual style (or maybe just get matching dresses!). When it come to finding an awesome clothing outlet, there are tons of different places that you can look. If you don't like the stores at malls around you, try online! If you've never shopped online before, you are surely missing out. Personally, I do almost all my clothes shopping online since I can not only usually find thing much cheaper than in stores, but also find unique clothes so that I never have to worry about matching with some random stranger. If you have a party coming up, make sure to try your best at shopping online since a unique dress is imperative to showing up at a party. No girl wants to be wearing the same dress when they go out unless they are best friends. There are tons of designer out there and I'm sure that you will find one with a style similar to yours. I don't really like any designer labels, I go more for a "genre" kind of look. Dressing alternative has kind of always been my thing, but maybe it's yours too! In that case I suggest searching on a search engine for cool online shopping stores to sort through and find your next treasure! If you haven't quite found your perfect style, don't fret! Your entire life your style will change so there's really no reason to be in a rush. Just dress comfortably and feel confident about yourself and the rest will come along just fine. Don't be afraid about investing in some indie clothing, since I see this trend continuing for a few years, at least when it's warm outside. Try some of the clothes on, I'm sure you'll love them! They are super comfortable and that is really what matters most in clothing.

Dipdip loves the beach!

This blog needs some serious update.

Being a parent, as most people often say, is not a walk in the park. In fact, even a walk in park with our kid nowadays needs to be planned especially since we are both working and we also have some chores to do on weekends. This is why we make it a point to really have time for our little girl so that she'll have a happy and memorable childhood. Good thing, there's a blog and some pictures to keep these memories all together.

We were glad to have taken the time off to be with my in-laws for a family summer outing. Quite a stress-reliever, indeed.

She didn't like the feel of the sand on her feet...

the crying episode with her cousin

At first, Dipdip wasn't quite pleased with her slippers and toes collecting sand. This was her second beach outing but I bet she didn't remember the first time she set her foot on the beach as she was just a few months old at that time.

Except for that first encounter with the sand, I must say that Dipdip loves and enjoys the beach. More importantly, she enjoys the time and attention we have for her.






3/17/12

guess how much we love our kid

A few days from now, she'll turn 3! It feels like it was only yesterday when we've raised a newborn. It feels like it was only yesterday when she can barely communicate with us. Now, she's one little conversationalist. Sometimes, she would also mimic the words that are spoken by adult people around her and this is one reason why we would need to be careful when we converse in front of her. She's also now at this stage where she would want to keep wearing her favorite dress, sometimes to the point that people would probably wonder if we ever thought of buying her a new one. :-)

Guess how much we love our kid? I think most parents can relate to this feeling. Definitely, our love cannot be measured by the toys and the birthday parties we are able to afford them. So, dear daughter, if you are able to read this blog when you grow up, please know that you are loved so much!