Parrot on a PorchA Journey Toward the Little Mansion Dream

As early as now, I just know that my son will grow up a “Papa’s Boy”.  Although, he’s more dependent on me and constantly longing for me 24/7, he and his Daddy has this special bonding that’s truly mesmerizing.  Well, for one, they’re both boys so their interests and inclinations jive together.  That’s why whenever the Daddy’s off from work, I let them play, bond and enjoy activities together. 

One favorite task they do is when they clean up the car.  Since my son’s in the stage when he loves imitating what grownups do, you would see him helping his Daddy cleaning the car floor mats, the dashboard or any other accessories.   He would also get the windshield cleaning wiper and make strokes on parts that he can just reach.  Very lovely sight, indeed.  I just let him take charge since I know that he has a fascination with cars and I know that he’ll grow up that way.  I wish to see more moments like these.  A few years from now, I bet he would be the one lecturing to his Dad about the latest and trendiest car accessories by then.

If you’re struggling to come up with a great birthday party plan for your child’s next birthday, think about throwing a pool party. If you don’t yet have a pool at your house, above ground pools are a great option. They’re easy and fast and they cost much less than an in ground pool. 

Children’s birthday parties seem to get more and more competitive every year, with parents going all out to ensure that their child has the biggest bash seen to date. Parties can be much simpler and more fun. A pool party in the backyard is all that you need to have a great time. Kids can run around and splash. They can alternate between playing in the pool and playing on the ground. Parents can relax and chat while the kiddies get the wiggles out. The host can relax because staying in the backyard keeps things cleaner in the house and rambunctious guests can still have fun without giving the host anxiety.

To set up a great children’s party, look into an above ground pool if you don’t have one yet. It isn’t just an investment for the party, you can use it again and again. It may even raise your property value. Only a few days of advance planning is necessary, unlike with in ground pools. After your pool is set up, grill some hot dogs and burgers for the kids. If you want to be more adventurous for the parents, marinade some chicken or prepare some kebabs. Buy a cake from a bakery or mix up a cake mix the night before. Throw some chips in some acrylic bowls, set out a veggie tray with some dip, and add drinks in the cooler and you are done! If you want to be festive, add some streamer and balloons. You can set up a fun pool party in no time!

True to what they say, motherhood is a life changing experience. In my case, I am made more doting, affectionate, caring knowing that somebody is entirely dependent on me. I became more responsible and although I’m still far from being a perfect Mom, I’m positive that I changed for the better.

Motherhood is not one easy task and although I struggle each day especially when it comes to parenting my toddler, I strive to give nothing but the best for him. During meal times, I see to it that he eats well and I put in my mind Health Facts so that I can nourish him well. Sad to say, I’m now experiencing the tricky world of picky eating in toddlerhood. While I didn’t have problems with him before feeding him anything, he has now become so choosy with the food that he eats. He doesn’t want to eat meat specifically those viands that are made adobo style. Anyhow, I just hope that the food supplement that his Pediatrician prescribed him will do wonders. I know that this is just a phase and a challenge that we’ll get through.

Albeit tough, I love to bits this role that was given to me.

Virtual window shopping is a favorite past time especially on days when I do not have much online works, is bored or just in the mood to browse online shopping sites.  Sites of baby and kiddie apparels are among my favorite destinations as that’s how and where I get ideas about the latest trends for my little boy’s fashion.  Sometimes, I get tempted to shop whenever I see streamers, banners and headers with the letters S-A-L-E boldly indicated.  But more often than not, I just content myself browsing and reading the product specifications and hoping that I find similar styles at a cheaper cost in our local shops.

Since boys’ getup are rather simpler and lesser than the girls, sometimes, I find myself browsing online catalog of girls’ wardrobe.  I make mental note which pieces look great together for my “soon-to-be” daughter.  Nah, not pregnant yet but I do hope and pray for a baby girl should we be prepared and ready for Baby Number 2 in the future.  One of the girl brands I’m loving right now is Flowers By Zoe.  I am drawn to the stylish designs and the pieces are simply adorable for a little princess.  Don’t they make you want to go back to your childhood years and model them?

My last post suddenly reminded me that I still don’t have a gift for the husband on his birthday which is just 2 days away. Now I’m panicking and deeply thinking what sweet surprise I could give him. There are actually a lot of options running through my head now: a travel reward card, his much desired 55-200mm lens for his DSLR and a sumptuous lunch treat in his favorite restaurant. However, these are so expensive and I’m sure gifting him with these, even though he likes each one of them, may come less appreciated. Not in this time when we are so cash-strapped and as we still have a lot of things to buy for Little Mansion. Okay, so now there goes the hard part. Any suggestion which practical stuff he would appreciate best?

The little one and I accompanied the husband in his annual medical checkup this morning. We were with him at the Nurse Station when his weight was checked by the attending nurse. I could just sensed how disappointed he was when the scale yielded a gain result and seemingly screaming/alerting “lipozene“. I planned to kid him and blurt out a satirical comment but I just kept my mouth shut being the supportive and loving wife that I am. I know how serious this matter is to him so as my advance birthday gift for him, (he’s turning 29 on Friday!) I just want to uplift his spirits and wish to tell him that no matter how big his belly could become and how heavy he might still get, he’s still loved so well by me and his dear son.

A few weeks ago, my husband and one of his buddies decided to rent a movie from our Direct TV service. I had never rented from the service before but had no trouble getting the movie started for the guys. I was not really looking forward to watching the movie with them; it seemed a little too ‘manly’ for me. They chose to watch ‘The Hangover’. So as they sat down to watch, I set to work in the kitchen washing dishes, I could see the television from my spot in front of sink and immediately the movie caught my attention. Not only was one of my favorite characters from the television show ‘The Office’ (Andy Bernard) one of the stars of the movie but the movie immediately caught my attention. Within the first 15 minutes I was giggling from the kitchen and came into finish the rest of the movie with them. The antics of the three men looking for their fourth friend they lost the night before were not just intended for male audiences. In the movie, four men start out on an overnight trip to Las Vegas to celebrate a bachelor party for one of the men. During the first night’s stay they end up getting so drunk that the next day they cannot remember what they did last night, and cannot find one member of their gang. The men trace their steps to find their friend; all the while discovering they have stolen Mike Tyson’s tiger, apparently kidnapped a baby and participated in one of the gang’s Vegas chapel weddings. As they continue to uncover the whereabouts of their fourth member, they discover they have stolen a cop car and kidnapped a short, Asian man they kid in the trunk of the car. The bride-to-be of the missing man continues to call and question where the guys are and why they have not returned to prepare for the wedding. The guys must race against the clock to find their friend and get him to his own wedding in time.

In an hour, we’ll take a moment and dedicate one full day to honor all the Moms out there. In fact, my Facebook feeds have started to show Mother’s Day greetings already. Amidst our busy schedule and the upcoming election’s pressure, may we take this time to remember and thank our Moms for all of their hard work in rearing and molding us to what we’ve become now. Motherhood is the toughest amongst all careers but undoubtedly the most fulfilling and rewarding task of all.

The husband just announced that we’ll be trooping to Trinoma tomorrow for a lunch treat in my favorite restaurant. Actually, I am not expecting nor wishing any material gift or treat. What’s important for me on this special day is that I’m with my boys and would be able to attend the Sunday mass so I can pray to God and ask for more fortitude, strength and wisdom to be the type of Mom that He wants me to be.

To all of my fellow Mom friends out there and most especially to the three moms that I luckily have: Mama, my Aunt Lily and to my Mom-in-Law…Happy Mother’s Day!

I grew up having a younger brother who was so into pc games and video game consoles. The husband also grew up in fascination of the same type of techie games. So I won’t be surprised if our home will also see a young boy who’ll be so into such games a few years from now. Actually, I can already foresee endless debates and arguments between me and the little boy as he “demands” to buy wow cd key, the latest consoles or the newest games.

As I know that I won’t win and besides, it’d be a boy thing, I’ll let the husband handle that. Ordering game cards and a playstation network card comes easy with PC Game Supply, an online source and the leading online retailer of digitally delivered games for PC, Xbox and Playstation cards. They carry the hottest and newest games in the console and online world including the most popular World of Warcraft and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 games. Ordering is as easy as 1-2-3 as the serial or let’s say the wow cd key will be delivered via email for instant downloading. No need to buy cards in mall retailers and most especially, no more scratching of cards.

A lazy one but I absolutely deserve to slack my Sunday off after having a very tiring Saturday. We spent most of our day yesterday on the road and in a span of 12 hours, I can’t believe that we drove and have been to six places. I was so tired that I felt like needing joint supplements to ease the sore and have a good night sleep. Good thing the husband reciprocated me a soothing back massage after giving him one before retiring the night. So the following are what kept us occupied yesterday:

1. Attended a godchild’s 1st birthday party at Jollibee Blue Wave.
2. Lounged a little at Mall of Asia and bought the little one a couple of toys at Toy Kingdom.
3. Dropped by at the Office of Manila Bulletin in Intramuros to claim the little one’s prize for being the featured Birthday Kiddie Greets winner last month.
4. Visited the little one’s pedia clinic for his yearly flu vaccine.
5. Drove to Batasan and checked LM’s progress.
6. Headed down south and bonded with my 2 sisters at Boni High Street for dinner. It was actually a treat courtesy of our eldest sister who’ll be flying back to Qatar this coming Thursday with her family.

And so even if I have tons of pending online works, I just rested and slept (almost) the whole day…woke up at 8 am then napped from 1 until 4 pm.But of course, Sunday is a holy day so my boys and I made sure to wind up the day by attending the 6:30 pm mass.