Must be the Coffee

Mommy's Home

2016-02-10T11:18:00.001+08:00

After almost nine (9) years of being part of the workforce, this mom decided it's time to come home.

Was it something I planned? Yes, I have been considering it for quite some time already ever since I had my first child. But it wasn't something that I was seriously considering.

Was it a difficult decision? Yes. I have always been very career-oriented. I am already a senior manager in the company. I have a Master's Degree in Marketing Communications - who would have thought I'd be staying home?

Do I regret my decision? No. It took me a long time to be at peace with my decision. Up to now I have days when I just want to stop being too domesticated - then I end up hanging a new batch of photo frames on our wall. I grew up with someone helping me to do everything in the house. Now, I have to pick up after the kids, clean up after my child throws up, and a lot more. But you see, the hugs, the kisses, the playtime in the afternoon in our front yard makes up for more than the sleepless nights, bloody lip from my kid's headbutt.

What have I learned from all this? Quite a lot.

1. Leave your work happily. I would like to say I left my job on a high note. No bridges burned. No ill feelings towards anybody. A solid team ready to face any challenge that may come their way. I guess what I am trying to say is, make sure that you remain professional each day you report to work. You are there to work. You are paid to provide quality service. Delivering anything less than that is a reflection of your professionalism and integrity. Always give your best and don't expect anything in return because the moment you don't get it, you'll be miserable. I started out as an officer in our company and every time I get promoted, I was seriously and honestly surprised. ALL THE TIME. Because I work not only with my brains and hands, I work with my heart. When you stop equating the amount of work you give in to the credit you get, that's when you start working happily and contently. Unless you are working with a BS company who does not know how to give credit. I guess, am lucky to have found a great boss and a great company that shares my passion, drive, and work ethics.

2. Every thing is a learning experience. When I was still single, I would go home at 4AM during our season and come back to work before 10AM. I would travel from Makati to Fairview to Recto to Makati before going home. I did things I never did at home or school. Did I rant about it? Maybe sometimes. But generally, I was happy to have been given the trust to do things I never thought I could do. I remember when my boss talked to me about being promoted to Manager, my first question was, "Kaya ko ba? (Can I do it?)" The EVP and COO of our company was also in the room that time and he was laughing and half jokingly said, "Akala ko Lassalista ka? Bibigay ba sa'yo ng boss mo yan kung di mo kaya? (I thought you are a Lassalian? Will your boss promote you if he didn't think you can do it." My reply then in my heart and my mind is not I can do it. But I will do it. There might be things that I am not familiar with, but I am always willing to learn. There was a story going around the office that even reached our COO saying, "nagbago na daw ako (I've changed)." I wasn't the girl who always said yes and who did everything even if it was something very trivial (sometimes even menial!). My reply was, "buti naman nagbago na ako. Ang tanda ko na e. (Good thing I changed. I am getting old already." But it's true. When you learn, you change. People may not understand it, but that's not my problem. As long as my eyes and heart are set on a target and I know I'm just being professional about it, then I don't see why this should be something negative.

3. There will be a lot of stories about you as you grow. And it's fine. I sometimes worry when people stop talking about me because it might mean that they don't see or feel that I exist in the office. I might be just some dead wood going with the flow. The thing is, as long as you have a solid foundation of your morals and a strong support group of family and friends, stories will remain as stories and they die along the way. The was worst story for me was that a friend asked me if it was true that I was in a relationship with a married guy (goodness!) who, apparently, I was holding hands with during an outing (SMH!). What do you do about these things? Shrug it off and do more good or even better things. The people around you will see and feel it they'll dismiss the story as fiction on their own without you needing to explain anything to them. Works all the time.

4. Decide for the best. My passion for my work is very high. When I was single, I would go home at 4AM during our season and come back to work before 10AM. I would travel from Makati to Fairview to Recto to Makati before going home. I did things I never did at home or school. But when I had my family, I knew that it was time to slow down a bit. I am not saying that all working moms should do the same thing, but in my case, it was a natural thing. Some moms are able to balance well their career and family. Maybe I am just not one of them. But the thing is, I should not punish myself for choosing to be a working mom or a stay-at-home mom, because at the end of the day, I have always decided based on what I think would be best for my family. So if you decide to remain a working mom, that is because you know this will be for the best. If you believe being a stay-at-home mom would be best for your family, then by all means go for it. Regrets are only there if you do something without the best of intentions.

This is such a long post, but I guess this is only because my decision to become a stay-at-home mom is a very big deal for me. And I haven't been writing for a long time, so I've forgotten the KISS thing.

Life brings us a lot of surprises. We never really know what to expect. Choose the best thing. Choose to be happy.

A Post for Nanay

2014-11-25T21:42:00.000+08:00

Today, would have been my maternal grandmother's 80th birthday. Nanay, as we would call her, passed on last August due to complications from her kidney.

Our Family during Nanay's Wake

***

My mom has always been the independent type, living away from home since she left the province for a college education in Manila. Whenever she'd go home, she would always be the strong wall that their family depended on. Mom's the second eldest of a brood of 5. But with her strong personality and action-woman attitude, she would not shy away to speak her mind and let her voice be heard.

Nanay was the same. She would not mince words and would tell you upfront what she thinks. She was very proud of everyone, you'd squirm when she starts talking aloud for other people to hear about her children or grandchildren's successes.

***

My mom and her mom were not showy to each other, because they both are not sweet and cheesy by nature. But you'd always feel their bond.

Both mom and Nanay, I recall now, loves being fashionable and super neat. You'd go crazy how Nanay will always have to take a bath or get a sponge bath even if she was already on bed rest because she didn't like to smell bad. Up to her last hours, she wanted to brush her teeth. My mom's after bath and going to bed ritual is crazy! I wouldn't go much into detail because I might get snapped at as soon as she reads this.

***

So, when Nanay left us and my mom called me, I was the one who broke down and she had to comfort me. Which is very typically like my mom. I just felt that I was not able to spend that much time with Nanay the last few moments of her life because I was always busy with work, tired during weekends, and my delicate first trimester of pregnancy was also a factor. Still, the what-ifs and why didn't I do this thoughts hounded me. But my strong mom was there to ease my worries away.

When I got to the province and saw my mom, she looked strong and very much in-charge, just how you'd expect her to be. It was during the time we had to lay Nanay to rest that I finally saw Mom breakdown. The following days, she felt really depressed because she missed Nanay so much and the memories of Tatang (my grandfather) were refreshed. She slept less, ate less, cried alot. No amount of granddaughter love can fully take away her sadness.

I think, Nanay wanted her to bounce back immediately so she brought together her children and helped them get strength and feel her love through each other. After my mom started bonding with her sisters for breakfast in McDonalds, sleeping together again after so many, many years, and just being around each other, crying, laughing, and reminiscing together, she finally did bounce back.

***

Nanay was not cheesy nor sweet, but you'd know she loves you and will shower you with her tough love. And now, we are fortunate to be her and Tatang's living legacy. We'd all be different and similar at the same time, one thing though is sure, we all miss and love her very much.

Sending our love and kisses to Nanay Catalina Cananua Bamba. Happy birthday, dance away with Tatang and smile on us :-)

Visiting Nanay November 2013, during one of her dialysis sessions

Happy 4th Birthday Leanne, Part IV (The Finale!)

2014-11-19T12:11:00.000+08:00

We had to end Leanne's 4th birthday with a BANG. So, we had my mom and dad to take care of that :-) Even prior to me getting pregnant, the GRAND parents worked on a GRAND Singapore getaway for the little Madame.

It was going to be Leanne's first plane trip, my first plane trip as a pregnant-hello-6-month-old-tummy, and our first with the whole gang (Me, my husband, daughter, and my parents), and would you believe, my first out of the country trip with my Dad. Yup, in my 30 years of existence, it is the first time I traveled abroad with my dad, since it was always me and mom flying around. It was basically a series of firsts!

Plane and airport selfies!

Basically, our itinerary involved places for the little girl to visit. So there's Sentosa - S.E.A. Aquarium and the Singapore Zoo, and then Mommy wanted to go to IKEA. It was only for a weekend, and am not allowed to walk that much due to my very pregnant state...

But, being the magical Singapore that it is, and with wonderful friends and family as guides - our itinerary stretched and made the stay REALLY more fun.

Sentosa and the S.E.A. Aquarium

The little girl enjoyed the aquarium! She screamed in delight with all the fish she saw! She ran about, jumped up and down, and tapped the glass of the aquarium as if to touch the fish inside.

Quick Tips for Traveling to Sentosa with a Toddler:

1. Bring a stroller. Does not matter if she does not use it anymore, the walking might be too much. And if you go in the morning til around noon, it's gonna be really hot, and your little one might get restless. And if the kid doesn't use it, the stroller would be great to carry your stuff with ease. Make sure to bring the light-weight umbrella type stroller!

2. Bring lotsa water and snacks. Traveling in a foreign land with a picky eater would be very difficult. You can ask your kid to try out some authentic dishes, but there's no guarantee she'd like it. Also, you wouldn't want to learn about unknown allergies or stomach reactions while on the trip. So better be safe. Lots of ice-cold bottled water will save you!!!

3. Bring extra clothes for you and your kid. Since it's gonna be a hot, long day, better make sure you have extra clothes for when going home. This will make your little one feel more relaxed.

4. If you're kid is 3YO and below, some entrance tickets will be free! So keep an eye on that!

5. If you're little one is comfortable with rubber shoes, then you can choose to have her wear them for comfort and security. We just brought a pair of sandals for when she wants to rest her feet after much walking.

We also went to Marina Barrage. Please don't judge, but this is the first time my little girl was able to run around in grass. We live in a very quiet village, with neighbors without kids (or at least none that we know of), and mom and dad is always at work... so trips to the park is really... scarce... actually NIL. It was quite funny actually, she wasn't sure how to step on the grass. But when she did, boy, she made sure she was able to go at it. She enjoyed the kites and all the children around. Her dad was in for a lot of exercise that day, too. Hahaha!

Run, daddy, run!

Quick Tips for Traveling to Marina Barrage with a Toddler:

1. Good thing we had a sleeveless shirt with us in tow, so the little one was able to run around freely without feeling too hot!

2. A lot of wet wipes helped us! We had a hand towel we used to dry her after running around, and then we used the wet wipes to kind of refresh her a bit. Then we dried her again before riding the car. If the Evian spray hydrate works for you, then make sure to bring it along.

The little girl also visited the Singapore Zoo. Now this is very tricky. It's not for pregnant women who can't walk much, I tell ya! Good thing they had the tram so we just paid for the tram ride, went around, and just got off areas we thought would be interesting. The little girl loved the tram so it was quite perfect actually.

Hellooo, Zoo.

Quick Tips for Traveling to Singapore Zoo with a Toddler:

1. Same as above, bring a stroller. If you wish to walk around, but be ready to push up and down some slopes!

2. Same as above, bring water and snacks. These will keep you hydrated and ready to go!

3. Go early in the morning, so you'd be done by noon or a little before noon. Then you can go straight to lunch there in the cafe or to your next stop.

Other places we went to were for shopping already - which you guys may already know about :-)

Quick Tips for Traveling Pregnant Mommy with Toddler:

1. Make sure to check with your airlines their needs to allow you to fly. For Cebu Pacific, expectant moms from 24 weeks to 34 weeks are required to bring a medical certificate from your OB-GYN that states that you are free to travel. The medical certificate should indicate that it is valid for 7 days from date issued. So it must cover the time you leave and the time you arrive. Then you'd have to download the Special Handling Form. You have to present all of these documents during check in.

2. If you can, go for web check-in, if not, it's okay because there is a special line for pregnant women during check in. Just bring with you all passports of your companions and say that you are traveling as a group.

3. Pack all you need in your hand carry, and separate them in resealable bags. This makes sure everything is intact and very handy while in the plane and while on the go. A separate bag for toys, crayons and pens, snacks, diapers and wipes, small toiletries, etc.

Happy 4th Birthday, Leanne Part III

2014-11-18T11:23:00.002+08:00

For the third installment of Leanne's 4th birthday celebration, we shared a sumptuous meal of grilled seafood and meat at SM Southmall.

The little princess is always happy to spend time with her family - and this day was no exception.

Happy 4th Birthday, Leanne Part II

2014-11-14T10:43:00.001+08:00

This one is kind of a cheat entry. It wasn't really a celebration that WE prepared, but it was part of the preparations we had to make to let my little girl know that a lot of people love her.

The following day of her birthday celebration in school was actually Trick or Treat day. So, obviously, my little princess wanted to be... Yup! Princess Aurora. I really don't know why she is very much in love with her, I guess it's the pink dress. ANYWAY. Here's our beautiful princess.

Our Little Princess Aurora

It was her first time to go, well, Treat-ing (no tricks allowed), and she had fun!

Treat or Treat :-)

Everyone in class looked great!

Happy 4th Birthday, Leanne Pauleen Part 1

2014-11-13T12:32:00.000+08:00

Okay, so since it's her 4th birthday, we had to celebrate 4 times, right? Kidding, we just had to split her celebrations into 4 to achieve that intimate yet fun vibe. Also, it's gonna be her last year as an only child so we felt like we had to give it our all. Besides, she's been doing very well in school, so this is her best reward.

So for Part 1, we celebrated her 1st birthday in pre-school with her classmates!Yay! It was difficult trying to balance my schedule that time since I am working full-time and am very much pregnant, but with the help of family and friends, I was able to pull it off.

My first order of business, was "The Cake." I figured, that the highlight of the party should be when her classmates sing her "Happy Birthday," and she would have to blow her candles. I asked a friend, first, but I think her schedule did not permit it, so I asked one of my bestest friends for help.

*Enter Kabbie*

When the two pregnant "Karens" met

What started out with me asking for recommendations, ended up with her saying, "I will take care of the cake." And when Kabbie says she'll take care of something, well, you can just prop your legs up and relax. After a series of discussions between Leanne (yes, not the mommy, but the baby) and Tita Kabbie, on how she wanted her cake to look like... This is the wonderful finished product.

Cake by Candyacakes and Cindypies

Turns out, Kabbie's aunt makes great fondant cake toppers! She just bought the round cake and asked her aunt to make the Princess Aurora topper. The little Madame wanted a pink cake, but Tita Kabbie decided to get a white cake and fill it with wonderful pink sprinklers. Awesome!!!

The happy birthday girl

Next that I had to work on were the loot bags. Now this is my favorite part, shopping for goodies for the kids. Even if I had stomach cramps, I just had to make sure everything was great. So for our loot bags, I asked Leanne's teacher for the headcount and number of girls and boys in their class. When I got it, and given my current state, I immediately went to my favorite go-to mall here in the South, Festival Mall in Alabang. We'd always pass by this store, and finally I "needed" to go inside.

Photos from Celebrations Party Central
The photo below is where I raided my Princess-themed and Avenger-themed stuff

Since the little girl wanted a Princess Aurora cake, I thought we'd definitely have to do a Princess-themed party. But what about the boys??? So, when I visited Celebrations Party Central, I got Disney Princesses and Avengers/Marvel loot bags. Then from there, they also had, small notepads, activity books, and mini puzzles of the same theme!!! It was a match made in heaven! The best thing is, IT WAS VERY AFFORDABLE! The store looked super chic, but the prices of the items are very affordable, and the quality of the items are okay - so win-win for mommy!

Then, I decided to head out to Market! Market! in Taguig City one night after office to get the toys for the loot bags - and when you need toys, there's no place like Edeng's Toy Center. Now, I know I had a budget in mind, but how can you resist a store that looks like this??? I got pencils, erasers, and stickers.

Photo from Edeng's FB page

A quick stop at the grocery store also allowed me to get cookies, biscuits, candies, and other sweets to fill the bags. I also dropped by the bookstore to get crayons for the kiddos.

Basically, my lootbag looked like this (no more photos of the sweets though! So sorry!):

Love!

Surprise for the kids!

I think they loved their surprises

The next thing we had to work on was the food! I had reservations to two bento-making groups for kid's birthdays. Unfortunately, one wanted me to pickup the stuff (not good for preggy mommy) while the other replied too late already. Good thing, a great friend, was able to help me out! We had Little Chef catering for the kids and adults! For the kids, we had a healthy serving of spaghetti with garlic bread, chicken nuggets, and hotdogs with mallows. For the adults, they enjoyed pinsec prito, pancit bihon guisado, pork barbeque, and puto. Everyone also got ice cream for dessert and bottled iced tea.

Not so picky eaters anymore because of the yummy food!

For the final touch, we got small toys from Puregold for game prizes! Thankfully, Teacher Belle helped us out by hosting our Bring Me and Longest Happy Birthday Greeting games.

Attentive kiddos

Definitely, Birthday Part 1 was a success.

Thank you!

Parties part 2 to 4 soon to come!

Quick tips I learned:

1. Don't forget to bring a cake slicer and containers. Best to bring the seal-able ones so the kids can bring home their extra food. We used hamburger disposable paper containers.

2. Bring plastic bags/bags for the kids' extra food. Preschoolers might not be able to finish all the food. It will be great to have a bag for their takeaway food.

3. Giveaway invitations to the kids through their class adviser at least a few days before the party. So that they would not bring food for recess anymore. Of course, keep in touch with your kid's school adviser to make sure everything works smoothly.

4. Working with family and friends makes life sweeter!

Leanne is 4 and We are Now 4!

2014-11-08T18:58:00.000+08:00

It has been a wonderful four years.

It was quite a challenge, but it was a fun challenge. I guess you would really never know what they mean when they say that there is no formula to being a parent - and you'd only know what to do along the way. Who would've thought an only child for a mother and a youngest in the brood of three for a father would make a good combination as parents.

It has been a wonderful four years.

Who would've thought that this little girl would turn out to be a loving daughter. A wonderful student.

And now, we're starting to prepare our young not-so-little-one to become a wonderful Ate - the elder sister.

Last June, hubby and I found out that we will be parents again. It was a very exciting discovery. And just recently, we found out that we're having a baby boy!

Our hands are overflowing with wonderful blessing from God and we are very thankful.

Indeed, it has been a wonderful four years.

A Day in the Farm

2012-12-01T23:51:00.000+08:00

My Dad and his officemates celebrated Tita Aida's birthday in Mayor Edna Sanchez' farm in Sto.Tomas, Batangas. We were on tag along mode since there were horses, ostriches, and miniature horses in the farm - and we thought Leanne would enjoy.

Groovy Tita Aida by the door (in glasses). It's the only clear photo I saw.

True enough, Leanne super enjoyed the animals! Almost all her photos had her face turned away from the camera because she's busy looking at the horses or ostriches!

Smile for the camera, babe!

The ostrich in the background. I had to hold her face to make her look at the camera even for a bit!

Daddy, there's a horse! Look!

Wow! Thrich! (Ostrich) with my mom.

Why is that horse small??! Can I ride that one?!

Daddy's wacky pose with a horsey

We had lunch a-la boodle fight. While I've had a lot of boodle fights the past five years (my current office loves boodle fights), it was my mom's first! So... good job, Mom!

That's my boodle tummy bulging. Sigh. Food. Oh, food.

Overall, it was a well spent day with the family! Cheers to long weekends!

Happiness!

Love you, Babe!

Early Christmas Present!

2012-11-27T22:30:00.000+08:00

So, on the 25th of November... Just 30 days before Christmas... the husband got me an early Christmas present...

*drum roll please*

A Samsung Series 5 laptop! *insert applause here*

I have an awesome husband!

Erhm... am not sure of the exact model, specs, etc. But it works and does the job well!!! Hopefully this inspires me to write more and more - given that them creative juices a-draining.

Cheers to wonderful husbands!!!

Now... the ball is on my court... how do you match such an awesome present? Hmmm...

How to match an awesome beauty? Rawr!

Chicken and Fries and Everything Nice

2012-11-12T16:03:00.001+08:00

We went to SM Southmall last Sunday and decided to have a late afternoon snack, Agave took our eye. It was actually a showdown between going Japanese (SumoSam) or TexMex (Agave). And since it was a long time since JP and I had a decent Mexican fix, we decided to go with Agave. Good news! When we got in, we found out there were free meals for kids during weekends! Yay!!! And they had chicken and fries! Leanne's favorites!

Three cheers for Agave!

BEFORE: The Free Chicken Fingers and Fries

AFTER: One Full Baby!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Dear Leanne!

2012-11-11T08:28:00.002+08:00

We made it! With flying colors --- almost.

The birthday began with the little girl being in a very, very wonderful mood - for a change.

Someone woke up sunshiney!

Super good mood she even let me braid her hair

Our caterer, Jaymin's Kitchenette, is actually the canteen from my office - so pretty much I already knew how everything worked - the taste, serving, service, and the works. I just didn't know they start preparing super early! Good thing we just came from church so we were able to welcome them at 7AM.

This streamer is the off-shoot of the invitation. I blogged about that here.

I chose red accents over white to make it festive yet simple and clean.

For lunch, the caterers prepared beef caldereta (middle) and fish fillet fingers with tartar sauce (rightmost). The pancit (noodles) on the leftmost was brought by my mom. She got it from Bermuda in Shaw Blvd. and then the barbeque we just got from a local store around our area.

Cranky and sleepy!

No more crying, babe!

My little girl is sleepy just before the lunch started... So she got super cranky, she didn't want me to put her down. Decided to let her sleep and miss the rest of her lunch party. But as soon as she woke up, she allowed a photo with me together with her Minnie ears.

Speaking of "ears..." I made giveaways with Mickey ears (with the help of Ate Dong, Maricel, Maria, and of course, my loving mommy) as giveaways.

Just before the afternoon party, my husband, JP picked up the Goldilocks cake we had made. It has a Mickey Mouse and friends theme. You just need three days to order this and there are a lot of flavors to choose from. You can visit this link to know more about the cakes.

Mickey Mouse cake from Goldilocks

JP's boss, Rico came in the afternoon with his lovely wife and the yummy and super beautiful Hello Kitty cupcakes and tower she made. Leanne loved the Hello Kitty toppers! I cut one in half because I thought she wanted to eat it. She got mad at me. I think she thought it was a toy.

Yummy and beautiful cupcakes

Lala, Hello Kitty please!

This is Rico and his wife

We had super lots of family and friends who spent time with us - and with that, I feel that our family is really blessed with the best people around.

We are awed with the love and support!

Although, I think the numerous guests triggered the sad part of Leanne's 2nd. But, no space for sad stories in this blog! Will blog about time next time - whenever that will be.

From the bottom of our hearts to the tip of our lips... Thank you!

A Whole Year?!?

2012-10-18T12:57:00.000+08:00

It's been almost a year since my last post... And yes, it's Leanne's birthday again. Argh. My baby is turning into a toddler... I don't know if I should say "time flies fast!" with all the happy-sad rollercoaster-like journey we've had over the past year.

All is good, nonetheless.

Now, I am busy preparing for Leanne's 2nd birthday party slash housewarming party next weekend. Luckily, her birthday falls under a long weekend, with October 26 being declared a holiday.

For this year, we are keeping it low. We're having lunch with the family and an afternoon get-together with friends. No games, shows, or whatever. Just pure company and fun.

So far, I have only contacted the caterer and prepared the invitations. My mom has bought some stuff already for the "loot bags" - which is basically just some sweets for the sweet tooths.

Just took out the address and contact info.
Photo credit: Elbert L. de Guzman, my boss.
This was taken during the wedding of my friends Ferdie + Kate Ortega

I am working on a Mickey Mouse themed party, with Leanne being a big fan (well, her mommy is too!)

Here are some pegs that I am currently working on for the party. I got all these a long time ago via google images. Grrr... So sorry wasn't able to get the exact links of all these! Am not taking credit for these photos. Just was able to research them a long time ago without being able to get the exact links.:

This one I got from pinterest via google. Wasn't able to get the exact link though :-(

Super love this set-up! Can't recall though where I got it. Sigh.

I got the one on the right from http://ambershirk.blogspot.com.
The one on the left is from google images. So bad of me to have not remembered the link.

Fingers crossed that everything turns out well! If I find the sites where I got the photos from, will update for credits :-)

Making the Birthday Bags... Really Good!

2011-11-07T19:59:00.000+08:00

When I said in my previous post that Jollibee covers everything - this already included awesome party favors. There are choices depending on your budget and the age group of your expected guests. We got the one with the backpack and toys inside (costs around US$2 each) because I know for sure that it is something that I would personally want to take home for my little angel (and mommy too!).

The 1derful Jollibee Giveaways!

But a few days leading to the party... I thought, what kiddie party will be complete without... CANDY! Yes, we should all go for healthy things for our little tots ALL THE TIME... but well, this is a SPECIAL OCCASION... and it's supposed to be a 1derful birthday... So, I guess... CANDIES ARE A GO! After going over our guest list, kids are only a handful and they are either quite young (below 7) or bordering teenage years (10-12), so we planned to make a "minimalist" type of candy loot bag.

Me want one also

What's in the BAG?

All in all, we spent around PhP 1,800 (US$42) for the kids' loot bags (good for 30 happy kiddies). We didn't want it to be too extravagant to avoid sugar-fueled, cavity-laden kids to be carried off by mom and dad after the party - we just wanted it enough for everyone to munch on.

I tried my best not to gobble'm all up

For the grown-ups, we wanted to give them something to take home as well. A small token of thanks for their wonderful presence in my little one's special day. Thinking aesthetics and functionality - I had the idea of giving away personalized hand sanitizers.

Visit Pixie Pen for your party needs :-)

Browsing through the net, I found Pixie Pen. They had just what I wanted at the price I wanted... AND at the quantity I wanted. Talk about a match made in heaven... There minimum order is 30 pieces with each costing PhP55 (US$1.30), I ordered 70 pieces and was able to choose two scents - Angel's Breath and Vanilla Lace - and two colors too - I got red and blue.

So happy with these! Christmas gift ideas, anyone? Hmmm...

When I finally placed my order, it was only then that I found out that the proprietress of Pixie Pen is my office mate's wife! Talk about small world!!! So, I got to waive the delivery fee for the items. Great job! The website says that they need around 2 weeks lead time for your orders, but since I already knew what I wanted - the colors, photo, design - it took me only a day or two to finalize everything. In around 3 days I got my items already. Woo-hoo!

Happiness!

Jollibee Saves the Day!

2011-11-02T22:14:00.003+08:00

For a working mom, planning for your one and only angel's first birthday party is quite a struggle. Struggle because you need to squeeze in tons of extra hours before and after office hours to be able to piece together every small and big detail needed - the venue, food, party host, invitations, giveaways, fun & games, and the list just goes on and on.

To top it all, since am in marketing communications and I have a hand in planning, leading, and organizing events of all sorts, you'd think (and EXPECT!) that working on my Yanyan's birthday would actually be a piece of cake (lol). Aaaaargh! But on the contrary, since we are talking about my little bundle of joy here... this should be the most perfect event I'd ever organize in my lifetime (insert heavenly music here). Ay, Caramba! Much stress!

So... welcome to my 1derful birthday preparations.

My Savior

We started with the thought of doing the birthday at home and have it catered and stuff. But like I said, being a working mom can be a struggle - so immediately, as early as the middle of the year, I knew it was already too late to find a caterer, get a host, find a supplier for the invites, party favors, sound system... Okay, don't get me started again. ANYWAY, since I'm very strict when it comes to these details, I immediately knew I wouldn't be able to make it. Work was pretty toxic during those times too. So... Enter... the Bee.

The Bee! The Bee!

Choosing Jollibee was quite simple: (A.) Leanne loves their spaghetti and palabok; (B.) Venue near our place and convenient for commuters; (C.) Leanne just ADORES Jollibee; (D.) Who doesn't like Jollibee (Erhm... Some but not all).

After scouting websites of other fast food restaurants for kiddie parties, I bestow Jollibee with the most "Mommy-friendly" site (I tried one pizza place and two chicken restaurants). It's a click-click-click heaven! Costs are all there, packages, options, add ons, and it computes at real time! The Party Planner is heaven for working moms!

My Party Planner is the way to go!

Basically, we chose our own meals and other details, had it computed so we already had a figure in our head. We then chose the best Jollibee venue, went there, and everything was done in a jiffy.

Go-go-go, Jollibee! Go-go-go, Mommy!

Now, if Jollibee delivers flawlessly as its pre-party preps does... That's another story altogether.

Yummy Banana Baby!

2010-12-20T21:14:00.000+08:00

Leanne had her first bath just three-days after she was born. My parents and in-laws were already surprised because they said, "back in the day," newborns were only bathed after their stump has fallen out. Well, the nurses of Manila Doctors said, it was different now and it was okay especially since it's always just a quick bath and the water has alcohol so the baby won't get infected.

I remember how super impressed we were because my three-day old daughter was so tiny, the nurse could carry her with just one hand and rinse her with the other. She was still so red then and her crying was so loud, you wouldn't think that a premature baby was taking a bath! It was super loud, nurses in their station would have panicked!

Leanne's first bath. So tiny and fragile!

Imagine how surprised I was to know that my little baby will stay little for only a short time! Now, I can bathe my two-month old only if I had someone with me to help me out! My mother and mother-in-law can do it best though. They can bathe Leanne on their own, with us just waiting on the sides with her clothes, mittens, and socks on-ready.

Before, we used Johnson's White Baby soap for Leanne's hair and body. But we noticed that her scalp was becoming dry. Fortunately, my grandmother, Tita Sebing, (we all call her Tita, she's the sister of my dad's mother. Go figure!) got us the Avon shampoo. It had a super nice smell, and immediately after the first use, we noticed that the dryness had improved already.

Avon's Baby shampoo (left) and Kids Heart Nature Organic Shampoo and Body wash
photos borrowed from www.pensivethoughts.com and www.humanheartnature.com

After a few days of use, my officemate, Sarah, gave Leanne a Christmas present! It was Kids Heart Nature's Kids shampoo and body wash with a Banana scent! Since it's all organic, we also decided to give it a try. Now, my baby has a healthy, sweet-tasting, and maybe yummy to eat scalp! We all now can't get enough of Leanne's head, neck, ears, and her whole body!

Our yummy-yummy and clean baby!

From feeding cup to bottle feeding

2010-12-19T23:51:00.001+08:00

New mommy in me found it really difficult to absorb all the new knowledge needed to take care of a newborn! But now that Leanne is turning two months old on the 28th, I can honestly say I have learned a lot through experience.

When we were in the hospital, I remembered walking out of my room one night, struggling to walk because I just gave birth through CS, crying my eyes out, because my baby couldn't latch on my nipple and she finds eating through her feeding cup difficult. I could sense that she was really hungry and was getting frustrated because of the little to almost zero milk that she is getting. That is why, immediately after we got home, I've decided Leanne must be bottle-fed. A challenge plays!

Daddy and Leanne's bonding time (left); my baby Leanne holding her own bottle at 38 days old

The first month, I was inter-changing breast milk with formula. No matter how much soups, malunggay leaves I ate, my breast milk wasn't really enough for Leanne. Fortunately, I was able to give her the colostrum she needed while we were in the hospital. So that already made me feel good. Over a month, I stopped pumping breast milk and shifted to Nestle's Pre-Nan.

Leanne gained weight and grew fast with Pre-Nan so on her 6th week, she shifted to Nan H.W. One. For a week she's been adjusting to the milk change so she poops a lot. But the doctor said as long as she has no fever, is not vomiting, and as long as she isn't feeling weak or having poor suck, then she is fine.

From 1oz. per feeding, Leanne upgraded to 2oz. per feeding, and now, she's shifting from 2-3oz. per feeding. And because of her bowel movement, she has to take Pedialyte for infants. We got the strawberry flavor and she super loves it! She can finish up to 4oz. in one feeding! But since we alternate it with milk, we give her 2-3oz. as well. I am already tempted to taste it because she surprisingly loves it!

It's really scary when something new or extraordinary is happening to my baby, but I have come to realize that if there is anything wrong with her, she would tell us - one way or another. It's just important to keep an open line of communication with your pedia. So it is important to make sure that the pedia you get is really someone you can trust. Super thank you to Dra. Rosa Maria Hipolito-Nancho, our pedia, and of course, my good friend, Aisa Hipolito for referring her to us!

I visit Dra. Nancho in Manila Doctors Hospital. Let me know if you need a good pedia and I can give you her contact details and other clinics :-)

The New Mommy

2010-11-28T19:37:00.001+08:00

The truth about being a first time mom is that no matter how much research you do, no matter how many questions you've asked the people around you, and no matter how much prepared you think you are - at the end of the day, nothing beats experiencing the real thing.

Which shouldn't be scary. Actually, it should be an event you will look forward to. When I found out that I was expecting, I did all the research online, magazines, books, gathered all the solicited and unsolicited pieces of advice from friends, family, my OB-GYNE, and acquaintances. I always thought I new enough until the day actually came.

Well, the day did come, but oh boy, was I in for a surprise! It was a month earlier than expected!

Wait... am sounding pretty scary to new moms already. lol.

Seriously though, I guess what I'm just trying to say to newbie moms like me is that - DO NOT BE AFRAID. Sure, it's going to be scary and all that, but it's only because you want what's best for your baby and your family. That being said, it is safe to say that everything will fall perfectly in place in time especially because your intentions from the beginning are pure and true. Who can go wrong with that, right?

Take everything in - all the information you've learned - but always keep an open minded and heart. I'm telling you, your baby will be your best teacher on your journey to mommy-hood.