what to do this summer?

summer is just around the corner and i am thining of what to do to keep the kids on the go. or should i say, to get them off of the TV most of the time. true that TV is at most times, my saver, still, i don't want them to get too hooked on TV. i want them to go out and explore. ride their bikes. play outdoor games. meet new friends. breathe fresh air. run. now i am reminiscing about my childhood -- hide and seek on the streets, shato, tumbang preso, patintero -- i wonder if kids these days know these games. oh well.

anyway, to start it off, since raya already started schooling, we are wondering if we will enroll her in summer class. not really to get her ahead but to keep her busy and continue learning. her school offers summer classes such as ballet, tae kwon do, science and math. my mom said that raya is still young and just let her enjoy her summer vacation doing nothing :D as they say, "baka magsawa".

well, there's a truth to it. so now, when should a child really start 'schooling'?

then, i am also thinking of going to a beach. and i don't know where? :( i've been wanting to go to this beach in batangas but they are fully booked from march till april. bummer! i don't want to risk going in may since it's rainy season already. my hope is that we could go on a weekday. hmm, now i have to ask hubby to squeeze us in his hectic sched. and filing for a leave is like close to impossible. so what to do? where to go?

hope to get answers real soon.

robin's birthday party & lessons

happy 1st birthday robin!!

as i've mentioned earlier, robin's gotta have a birthday bash since her ate raya had a party also when she turned one. it's not that we don't want to, of course we love parties, but some things need to be changed. it can't be as extravagant since we are on a very tight budget. aside from bills to pay, tuition is high and hubby just had a very pricey ACL reconstruction operation.

anyway, i was up to the challenge! :) i used my learnings from attending parties and from raya's party as well. besides, i am a practical mom ;) and so, God has granted us a few funds to come up with a birthday party for robin and i must say that it was a hit. we chose our favorite pizza place as the venue known for its mojos and thin crust pizza. for decorations, hubby used his talent to create a wonderful backdrop and we ordered a few balloon decors. i got the 2 tier colorful cake from a bakeshop. i made the cupcakes as giveaways for the adults! and we gave pen holders (filled with goodies) to kids. prizes for the games are fun and useful.

for the venue, we chose a restaurant so that we don't have to pay for the place and for the food servers. i realized that if we chose a club house or a penthouse of a condominium, aside from paying the rental of the venue which ranges from Php8,000 to Php18,000, there's an additional fee for the use of aircon, sound system, and for some, rental of chairs and tables. then we'd have to get lots of balloon decors, which costs a lot, and spend on other paraphernalia to decorate the place. then we'd have to get a caterer. average price per head is at least P300/head with food that is so simple. i realized that it's a bit costly because the caterer had to pay the food servers and that chafing dishes are expensive :) and this is for small time caterers. if we get those with names already, prices per head is around Php450 and then there's a sign ++ at the end. which will amount to Php550. hehe.

for the cake, it is really nice to order from those bakers that are home based. these days, cupcakes are a hit. and that costs about Php45 per piece! back to the cake, the nice thing about it is that you can have it customized according to your prefence. its personalized. its not commercial. and the taste is better. but the price is the same (for some its higher) to the ones in the bakeshop. so i really took upon myself to check every design of cakes from two bakeshops according to my budget. good thing is that i really don't have a theme. just a mix of the colors purple, pink, yellow, blue and mint green. thank God and i found a cake that suits robin's party's theme. and its cheaper. yahoo!! and mind you, its nice. cake is a bit sweet for me though. oh well, cake is for display purposes only. ;)

 

for the prizes and loot bag, what i've learned is to buy something that the kids will like, or better, enjoy, and will be able to use. it can be cheap. but not like those crayons that doesn't really work. or the toys that can easily be swallowed or easily broken. i've learned my lesson. none of that. pencils, pens, towelettes, pencil sets, sure they are cheap and useful but it's the same thing that a kid receives every Christmas and birthday parties. and cheap finds can also be in department stores or book stores. because the first thing that comes into mind when getting cheap finds is divisoria. my loot bag, or pen holders, were bought in divisoria. though i know it could be bought in tiangge also. it just so happens that my mom happen to pass by there and so she bought it. thank God for grammy's!! she shouldered all the loot bag and prizes. anyway, we just bought chocolates, marshmallows, cookies, jelly and lollies in the grocery to put in the "loot bag". then they could use the cute pen holders. who doesn't love sweets, right? prizes include foldable bags (our own way of helping others use bags instead of plastics), coin bank, usable colors/paint set, bubbles, balls, etc.

 as for the entertainment, that we have to shell out a bit of cash, we got a balloon twister and a bubble show.we wanted the kids to enjoy and bring home the ballons. the venue was decorated with just a few balloon decors on the ceiling to have an atmosphere of a kiddie party. as for the bubble show, its unique and fun. we didn't get the normal clowns and magicians anymore.

to complete off the party, we invited family, relatives, godparents and close friends. and we are so happy they went and celebrated this wonderful occassion with us.



happy 1st birthday robin!

exactly a year ago, at 3:59am, our third biggest blessing was born ...



birthday parties

two weeks from now and its robin's 1st birthday. of course we will have a party! why shouldn't we? her ate raya had one and it was such a success that people talked about it for weeks :) we're glad. after all, we spent for it. now i wonder why we did it. and so now, we have to have a birthday bash as well for robin. and if God will grant us another kid, he/she too will have a party. sheesh!

i don't regret throwing a party for them. i know that at 1 year old, they wouldn't understand anything. raya was our first child and so we were excited. so we didn't think about the cost. with robin, well, we want to. and we are thinking that it is unfair if we don't give her a first birthday party. right now, robin wouldn't even know what's fair and what's not. we as parents, would just like to avoid comparisons and jealousy when we can. i know someday, robin will be able to appreciate the party. like for raya, now that she is 4 years old, she gets to "enjoy and appreciate" her first birthday party by watching the video over and over again. hehe. and she keeps on thanking us for it! aaawwww.

i was just thinking that the money spent (and will be spending) for the birthday party could have been spent on bonds or time deposit for their future use. but it didn't. it won't. but there's no turning back the time. so on robin's party, we will try hard to be practical and put the money to good use. great food. great prizes. fun entertainment. and so on.

perhaps, if there's an abundance of monetary funds, things would be different :)

robin at 11 months

two weeks from now and robin will turn 1. yup, time flies so fast. at 11 months old, she smiles a lot (more so bungisngis), knows how to wave when you say bye bye or hi, have 5 teeth, gets mad when you get something from her or when you don't give what you want, knows how to get down from the bed, knows high five, smacks her lips when you say kiss, doesn't like to be alone, likes to play hide and seek, so happy everytime she sees ate raya, and robin can stand and walk through gliding. 

we are blessed that she is one happy and healthy kid. there's just one concern of ours, she seems small for her age and can't walk yet on her own. i wonder if it's because i breastfed for only 5 months :( is that really the effect for not completing the recommended six months of breasfeeding? our pedia is not worried yet. though she added robin's vitamins, she assured us that it is not yet time to go to a "height-weight" specialist. robin is still young and besides, raya used to have the same concern when she was robin's age. also, we her parents, as well as the members of the family, are not really in the heavy and tall side. my older sister is just 4'9"!! sheesh! anyway, so recently, i've been really monitoring robin's milk intake and makes sure that all her vitamins are given. she seemed to have gained weight. yipee!!

im sad that i wasn't able to breastfeed for six months or more. but i did really try. some mothers find it easy. i didn't. it was kind of difficult for me at that time. though i was already a stay-at-home-mom, i was stressed and tired most of the time. i was handling 2 businesses, a household and a toddler/pre-schooler. and i only have 1 helper/yaya at home. not to make excuses, but that was really it. 

i am not guilty too because i didn't let robin go hungry :) i can't stand hearing her cry of hunger because few milk comes out of me. so i started giving her formula. i know that's better than not giving her anything. its also good that robin dont get to feel the stress that i was feeling. i'd rather she drinks her formula, be full and be happy. :)

is this it?

once again, the Day Off Ladies Club met up last saturday and had a great time together, chit chatting over a sumptuous lunch at Cerchio, a new restaurant at scout limbaga street in QC. i was running late and so forgot to bring my camera with me. shucks.

surprisingly, there was a question thrown at me at that time which i also have been asking myself past couple of weeks. i was a bit taken aback hearing it out loud, more so in the honesty of my answer. the question was

"are you ok with your life now?"

and i answered slowly, yeees, sounding as if i was not so sure :) it's hard. it's different now. one aspect is that i feel kinda guilty for not  contributing financially in our household. i used to be employed and though my salary was just small, at least i was able to help my husband. i don't want for my husband alone to carry the load of working for the family. i don't want him to be pressured because he is the only one supporting our family. i feel helpless in this part.

i have also asked myself if this is it? shall i be a forever mother and wife? i know there is no changing the fact that i am a wife and mother. and i am so blessed to be those. but, will i be somebody else on the side? a good baker? a brilliant photographer? a cook? a successful businesswoman? little by little, i try whatever i feel like doing. as to when to go full blast on other things, and whether ill be good at it, well, only time can tell.

i was assured by my 'co-mothers' that i shouldn't be guilty. for one thing, God had really set our roles. and that parenting and being a stay at home mother is indeed very tough. they could attest to it. :) its so good to hang out with these girls! they are so true, and talks with sense!

can i just share that i recently read that

studies show that each commom interest between people brings about a 2% increase in life satisfaction.

anyway, going back, i know that i am capable. someday i can attach another title next to "mother and wife". for now, God wants me to devote most of my time to my supportive husband and charming girls.