What's Supposed To Be Bread Painting

As a working mom, when time permits Xian and I have fun with things we can easily find in our house.So one weekend, we were supposed to try Bread Painting for our weekend activity which I got here BUT I found out we don't have any stock na pala of food coloring in our house since hubby accidentally threw them away few days ago thinking they're already expired. How uncool is that?

 Photo Source: Image from www.busybeekidscrafts.com

So instead of spoiling the little man's happy vibes about our craft, we still managed to turn the toasted bread into our own masterpiece with the help of Nutella and Xian's Nips chocolate stored in our ref.Yey,happiness pa din!

 Instant chocolatey snack for the little man! :)

By the way, Xian's the one who put the Nips chocolate toppings, that clearly explains the color arrangement and spacing.hehe!

Anyway, we can do the craft some other time.I'll make sure we have  stock of food coloring na that time.

Another Kulilit Story Part 5!

One of Allan and me's view point for having another baby is Xian's readiness.

So one night during one of our family's laid back kwentuhan which is also very similar to this scenario few months ago,the husband brought up the topic again.

Hubby: Xian gusto mo na ng kapatid para may kalaro ka na?

*deadma ang Xian*

Hubby: do you want a baby sister,ha Xian? (ayan,inenglish na)

Me: o nga baby para itatawag nya sayo "kuya Xian". You like?

Xian: no like!

*after a few second of thinking..*

Xian: *happy face* ang like ko baby keng-gwin (penguin)! 

O-o

lagot tayo dyan!

==================================================================

Tatay at 75 years old being a certified and true blooded Batanggenyo is sometimes high-pitched when talking with a heavy accent of his Batangan diction. Take note,hindi sya galit ha.  Ganun lang talaga sya minsan. So while explaining something, Xian heard him. The little man went to Tatay and naively said:

"Tatay,wag ka gagalit.iiyak Papa Jesus" 


All along he thought Tatay is mad because of his voice.haha!

Ayan napagsabihan tuloy ni bagets ang lolo. Tatay can't help but smile and explained that he's not mad,papaliwanag lang.LOL.

 Kulilit Xian at 31 months

Sapphire Mommy Turns 1

Always appreciate the little things in life... Otherwise you won't appreciate the bigger blessings which will come your way.

We say we'll never forget the cute things that our kids say, or the funny little faces they make, but memories fade with time. Soooo true. that's why as much as possible I want to document everything, every milestone, every new antics of my little man in his journey. if only I have all the time in the world. But since I'm a working mom and I'm not with him every moment, I'm guilty sometimes that I allow them to slip away and it's not enough to commit everything to memory. Hence, why I came up with the blog thing a year ago. Simply to jot down everything about my Xian, because sooner or later he'll be able to read all of these and I want him to have a peek of his happy childhood. Xian's really growing up too fast! *sigh*  Although sometimes I blog just about anything but  all in all,this blog is still all about the two most important people in my life,my Hubby Love and Baby Love and our family life.

Ang haba ng intro no?

Guess what, yesterday was my blog's first birthday! Akalain mo yun one year na pala.While tinkering my blog this morning, I realized that I had my first ever blog entry last November 22, 2010.Time flies so fast. (oooops,eto na naman ako!)


Seriously, I never thought that I'll enjoy this hobby, I realized that it has been kind of therapeutic. This is where I can really be myself without worrying about what other people think. This is where I share snippets of my life being a working mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend, and as a simple girl. This is where I rave and rant.My life isn't exciting nor extraordinary but I'm loving it.


Now,allow me to have my thank you speech.hehe.

Thank you to my wonderful fellow SP Moms and mommy blogger friends: Michi, Nuna, France, Cha, Jenggai, Vanenie and Anne. Good to know that from SP to Blogger we still connect and share our thoughts from just about anything from parenting to mommy rated products just like in our e-group, it's good to know all of you a little bit more aside from  our SP community and FB (by the way sa twitter din pala!)  Sis Michi, your family trips are awesome.Sis Nuna,December na! tuloy na natin Batangas EB.France,I miss our Nanay Online.All of you fab ladies are the reason why I'm proud to be an SP Mom.


Thank you also to my equally fabulous mommy blogger friends Lanie, Em and Mamee Nani, I'm glad to meet you girls here in blogger. It's refreshing to get new insights and ideas with your entertaining posts about your family life and your equally adorable daughters which made me wish to have my own little girl too! I'm looking forward to meet you in the future,since we're all from the South naman.You bring your pretty daughters, I'll bring my poging Xian.hehe!


To the talented women Anney and Kristeta for all the wonderful ideas oozing with yummy baked goodies that every time I visit your sites, I can't help but drool and wish you're my neighbors.  lol. I wish I also got the talent and creativity of these two amazing ladies (uhmmm,kahit konti lang pwede na saken.haha!) Krissy, thank you for being nice and accommodating for my queries during those times,yah know.
 
Thank you also to Karla, The Average Jane and Kath. It's an honor for my humble mommy blog to be followed by people who's been respected in the blogging arena with their notable posts related to their crafts. You're my daily dose of information.

To all the wonderful bloggers who became my inspiration to have my own especially to Mommy Fleur, Mommy Frances and Mommy Jane.Thank you.


It's an overwhelming feeling to know all of you.


And to everyone in general who became a part of my blog, thank you for dropping by and sharing your time,  for reading my posts, for the sweet comments which always make me smile,for allowing me to go on and on about everything I want to just like this one (well you don't have a choice,do you? hehe!)


Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.Love y'all ♥

Happy 1st Birthday Sapphire Mommy, Here's to more years of happy thoughts and happy posts ahead!

photo source: image from Google

Where Can I Find You?

 Disney Pixar Cars Multi Bin Toy Box

Currently I'm looking for a toy organizer for Xian's toys and stuffs and I think the best way to encourage him more to unclutter and keep his space tidy is a Cars toy bin organizer!

The question is,san ba nakakabili neto since I find this stuff online? I once checked Toys R Us but they don't have anything like this and mostly their toy organizers are the usual plastic container (which is currently what we're using for Xian's toys) or probably sa iba nilang store kaya? or sa Toy Kingdom siguro. That I have yet to check.

Other cutie designs which I like:

Baul-inspired

 

toys and books organizer

 

pwede for boys and girls kaya lang baka di appealing kay bagets.

cutie Lolong look-alike bin.kyooot!

simple basket storage

12 bin toy storage organizer

 

hmmm pwede, pero parang ang complicated naman neto masyado.

 this toy box reminds me of our cooler.lol.

cool! kahit si Xian at playmate nya, kasya sa loob nyan.

But, the first picture above is still my choice of toy box. Does anyone knows a store here in the Philippines that sells McQueen toy organizer like that?


 
 

Sunday Tummy Filler

Yesterday we woke up late than usual since hubby and I had a DVD marathon last Saturday night,and since we're off to the church the next day to attend the Sunday mass I just prepared my famous (only in our household) bacon and egg sandwich for breakfast which is as easy as 1,2,3! :) 

Did you know that the first time hubby tried it during our bf-gf days several years ago, he already loved it!  Well,wala syang choice na hindi i-love since that's the sandwich I can pull off with ease even with my eyes closed.chos!

 Here's my super duper simple direction:

Gardenia's white bread

 slice of bread with homemade egg and mayo spread

Add the crisp bacon on top

Cover with another slice of bread.

Voila!

This is our family's favorite sandwich, I sometimes add lettuce and tomato. Instant and easy tummy filler for early morning rush. Actually sa sobrang easy,konti na lang at kaya na ni Xian gumawa nyan! 

Sunday at Valentino Resort & Spa Part 1

My little family went to Valentino Resort and Spa (VRS) last Sunday for some relaxation together with Inay and my sister Sol while majority of the whole nation were glued on their seats watching Pacquiao's Fight. Prior to our out-of-town trip, I made an earlier reservations last Friday before going there. Armed with my printed direction which I got from their site, we went to VRS. We left our place at exactly 8:00 AM and we got there around 9:00 AM.

The Spot!

VRS is a perfect place for relaxation. Our timing was great because there were only a few others at the resort plus the weather is perfect too, so we were able to enjoy our stay the whole day. The little man is so excited because on our way there, he kept on saying "yehey,si-swimming! Mommy andun Nemo?" O di ba,excited masyado si bagets. Pero anak, sad to say walang Nemo dun eh.

The place is situated within the calm and picturesque town of San Jose, Batangas overlooking the panoramic view of Mt. Makulot.(which is also a favorite destination especially for campers and mountaineers) Although they're our neighboring town but we seldom go there unless we have some agenda on that town.

Welcome!

The resort has very decent facilities plus the staff there are very friendly and hospitable especially Kuya-Manong (I forgot to ask his name) who immediately assisted and loaded our baggage to the golf cart and brought us to our cabana after our transaction at the resort's receiving area.

By the way, we only paid 2K for that day; Php300/person for our entrance fee,Xian is already free of charge, Php500 for the cabana, Php 100 for our food's corkage fee and additional P200 for Xian's shirt at their souvenir shop)

 

While settling our payments at busy naman ang aming Xian.

family photo op at their Christmas tree :)

Inay Dear, Sis, Xian and Kuya-Manong

My boys enjoying the ride

Here are some snapshots of the place while we're on our way to the view deck.

Receiving Area / Souvenir Shop

 

serenity,check!

 sana ganito kalinis bakuran ko :)

Two of Their Five Themed Villas (Contemporary, Mediterranean, Filipiniana, Italian, Modern) ideal for overnight stay.

Picture taking of the place was cut short after a minute of riding the golf cart, since we're already at the view deck, that's why I don't have pictures of the other remaining villas, function hall, spa, gym,restaurant and others.

@ the view deck's hanging bridge overlooking the resort's lush garden and huge pools and jacuzzi while on our way to our cabana, kaso mahihiluhin ako kaya bilis-bilis kami dyan ni Xian (Inay and my sister is behind us while the husband was at the back and in-charged of our baggage and food helping Kuya-Manong)

 HAPPINESS!

Looking at our ultimate happiness! :)

The resort have three swimming pools and we chose one of their big cabana near the kiddie pool as our spot since some of the few guests that time take a dip at the biggest pool near the jacuzzi.So, most of the time solo namin ang place.hehe! There is also a charming waterfall which my boys enjoyed a lot. 

 Their mesmerizing iced-blue water.

The Three of Us.

More than the place, It's always the people we are with that makes every bonding memorable,ayt? :)

How to Get There (From Manila):

Take SLEX and go out through the last exit, Batangas Exit.
Drive straight along the highway until you see the sign for STAR Expressway. Turn right to STAR.
Take the Lipa Exit. Turn left.
Go straight until the road forks. Take the right side, going to Cuenca.
Just drive straight and you'll see the sign "Valentino Resort & Spa" on your left. Turn here and you'll find the resort.

Valentino Resort and Spa
Barangay Pinagtung-ulan, San Jose, Batangas
Telephone Number:(043) 783-0558
Mobile Number: 09175155936

Xian and the Peppermint Mocha Frappe

Despite the much awaited Pacquiao-Marquez Fight, we spent our Sunday Family Day in a nice and serene place outside the city for some relaxation (I'll do a separate post about it as soon as I have my much awaited luxury time) 

On our way home that afternoon, we dropped by to Starbucks to have our favorite frappe. I was supposed to have my Java Chip Frappe again but at the counter,I changed my mind and tried one of their seasonal offering which is the Peppermint Mocha Frappe. I already tried their Toffee Nut Frappe when they introduced it last year and I liked it. 

While waiting for our order, Xian is busy doing his pa-cute pose for his Tita Ninang's camera.

For my Grande Peppermint Mocha Frappe, I love the  ruby red sprinkles with the right hint of peppermint (duh,ulit-ulit?!) leaving my mouth with that slight minty coolness (malamang!) without overpowering the mocha flavor in my tastebuds. I paired it with Toffee Nut Loaf (which by the way became a hit to hubby's palate). These two really smells and taste like Christmas which instantly gives me this yuletide high!

the little man's hand and his choice of frappe

hmmmm,mesmerized?

When we asked the little man what he can say about the taste, his quick answer "Mommy,Asim!" Huh,Ano daw? Iba ka talaga anak!