This picture was taken last Saturday before my son and his Dad went to Cityland office in Makati. My son is wearing light green shirt and dark shorts and is seen here strumming his green toy guitar, and oh, that’s his green Ben 10 car on his lap, one of the gifts he received last Christmas. Isn’t this a very green day?


Have a great weekend, everyone!

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Here’s my son in orange polo shirt with his orange Nemo stuffed toy. This picture was taken this morning before he went to school.


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Our four-year-old son (five this July) is a very sweet boy. He likes to hug and kiss, say “I love you,” and write love letters for both Mommy and Daddy. Here’s the most recent love note he’s written for his Dad:


His Dad is the one buying our son toys whenever we go to the mall. Justin charms his way into his Dad’s heart whenever he wants a new toy, like he’d tell his Dad he’s behaved today or he did well in school or he packed away his toys on his own. Ergo, my son is not only sweet; he’s also smart!

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Because Valentine’s Day 2011 fell on a Monday and because both my husband and I had work on that day and our son had school, we celebrated Hearts Day two days earlier, February 12, at Chefs’ Quarter at SM Megamall Atrium.




That day was also our helper’s day off, so it was only the three of us celebrating. Having that in mind, we didn’t order much. Besides, hubby and I are on a diet, so we didn’t need too much food in our bellies. This assured us, too, that we won’t be looking for the best weight loss pills after our pre-Valentine date. We just had Memphis Barbecue and Ube Cheesecake Brulee.


Memphis Barbecue (Family Platter), Php595.00
This is a combination of U.S. beef back ribs and pork riblet (1,100 grams), served with marble potato and house salad. This is already a complete meal, but being rice lovers that we are, we ordered two cups of plain rice to share among the three of us. We don’t like potato that much. LOL!

The pork riblet was tender and flavorful. We liked it better than the beef ribs!
Because this family platter is ideal for 3 to 5 persons, we weren’t able to finish everything, so we had take-out food when we left.


Ube Cheesecake Brulee, Php130.00
This one was a hit with our son, especially the chocolate toppings. Hubby and I loved it, too. It’s soft, creamy and not too sweet.


Photo taken outside Chefs’ Quarter
On Valentine’s Day itself, we just had ice cream at home.

Where did you and your loved one/s spend Valentine’s Day?

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Dear Justin,

You’re turning 5 this July, but I still call you “Baby.” That’s because you are and will always be my one and only baby. You are a miracle baby, too! Your Daddy and I never thought we’d have a child of our own because of my medical condition, but God gave you to us after 9 long years of waiting. Thank you for bringing joy and happiness into our lives. We love you so much, Justin!

Love always,

Mommy and Daddy

When we were just boyfriend-girlfriend and when we eventually got married, hubby and I didn’t have a relationship theme song. Usually for couples, their relationship theme song is their favorite love song.

I do have a favorite long song, though, and I’m sure everyone is familiar with it. The title of this song is “How Did You Know,” and this song was popularized by Ms. Chiqui Pineda. Gary Valenciano did a remake of this song, too, but I like Chiqui Pineda’s version better.


How Did You Know?
I remember so well
The day that you came into my life
You asked for my name
You had the most beautiful smile

My life started to change
I'd wake up each day feeling alright
With you right by my side
Makes me feel things will work out just fine

CHORUS
How did you know
I needed someone like you in my life
That there was an empty space in my heart
You came at the right time in my life

I'll never forget
How you brought the sun to shine in my life
And took all the worries and fears that I had
I guess what I'm really trying to say
It's not everyday that someone like you comes my way
No words can express how much I love you
This song articulates the feelings of someone in love. The person clearly remembers how she met the love of her life and how he transformed her life into something beautiful. Isn’t that lovely?

Come to think of it, this song can also be a love song to God and to our own children, too.

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It’s very seldom for us to have a complete family photo because usually, my husband and I take turns capturing precious moments of us with our son or just taking solo pictures of our son. My husband is the family’s appointed photographer, so me and my son have more pictures together.

We were in Shangri-La Mall last Saturday for our dental appointments, and we tried one of the new restaurants there, too: the Sing Hainanese Chicken House. Nope, the place doesn't have mini chandeliers that might have caught our little boy's fancy; we simply wanted to try their house specialties. I’ll write a separate post on that soon. Our family picture below was taken by Justin's yaya while we're waiting for our orders.


Have you had your family picture taken lately?

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Last week, Justin was given his piece for their reading recital which will happen in February. The parents are supposed to train their children to read at home until they can master their piece. Justin’s reading piece is a nursery rhyme entitled “If All the Seas Were One Sea.”


If all the Seas Were One Sea

If all the seas were one sea,
What a great sea that would be!
If all the trees were one tree,
What a great tree that would be!

If all the axes were one axe,
What a great axe that would be!
If all the men were one man,
What a great man he would be!

And if the great man took the great axe,
And cut down the great tree,
And let it fall into the great sea,
What a great splash-splash that would be!
Justin read his first book last September 2010, and it comes as no surprise to us that he can read his assigned material after several practices. He has actually memorized his reading piece already. One of his teachers even told me last week when I dropped him off at his classroom that Justin reads well. Now, that made me a proud momma!

Justin has also been practicing writing the big and small letters of the alphabet and his full name at home. These are his finished products that he showed me the other day.


Justin is 4 1/2 years old and is a pre-kindergartner.

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We’re supposed to show or talk about new things that were given to us as gifts last Christmas or new stuff we have bought recently as gifts for ourselves for this week’s theme of Mommy Moments, so here’s my entry.

The two Chuggington trains are gifts from his Dad and from his classmate last Christmas. The animal bonnet was a Christmas gift from his Ate Ayie, and Justin’s Dad bought our son this new pair of Transformers' rubber shoes before classes resumed this week.






My first pair of Ipanema footwear was a gift from ELRO. Thanks, Cel! I got my Ipanema sandals from Bambu store in Marquee Mall in Pampanga when we visited there a few days before Christmas.


As for hubby, I’m glad that he finally realized he needed to start exercising to keep himself physically fit. I was surprised when he went home from the mall last week with his brand new fitness equipment, his Christmas gift for himself.


Because he learned that the best way to trim down is to get physical, I don’t think he’ll ask me again what is three best diet pill on the market. Let me say that again: I don’t think hubby will ever ask me what the three best diet pills are on the market. There, that sounds better!

What about you? What new things have you received as gifts or have you bought for yourselves lately?

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It has been customary for others to list new goals at the beginning of each year, hence, the term New Year’s resolutions. In my case, I don’t usually list down my goals for the new year (except in 2007 in this blog), but instead I make a mental note of what I hope to accomplish each year. That’s exactly the reason why I don’t fulfil most of my New Year’s resolutions because I tend to forget them as the months go by. But because this week’s Mommy Moments’ theme requires us to list our goals for this year, I have no other option but to oblige. Here are my 2011 goals.

1. I vow to start saving part of my monthly earnings this year. The family crisis we had last year was a real eyeopener. It made us realize the value of having emergency fund because we wouldn’t know when we would need it. My mother underwent quadruple bypass surgery at the Philippine Heart Center last June 9, 2010, and my husband had to take out a big loan from his office to help finance the surgery. Now, my younger sister and I are paying for that loan with interest. It is also worth mentioning here that without the help of friends from Harversters Christian Fellowship, Nanay’s operation would not have been performed. We owe these people big time! Lesson learned: Save for a rainy day, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do this year.

2. I promise to manage my time effectively at work this year to spend more time and energy with the things that really matter. The last quarter of 2010 had been very busy for me. Before, my work ends at 5pm, but because I have been given more responsibilities at work last year, I’m still in front of my laptop at 7pm, even extending to 8pm or 9pm at times. This has significantly reduced the time I spend with my son. This has also affected my social life. I have so little time catching up with family members and friends.

3. I pledge to pamper myself more this year. I said this already in 2007, but I never really achieved this goal because there are just too many expenses in our household, not to mention that I’m also giving part of my salary to my parents for their medications, that there’s little to nothing left for me when I receive my salary every payday. I will make it a point to buy something for myself each month or do something for myself each month. It doesn’t need to be expensive for as long as I feel I’m getting something from what I’m earning. I should love myself more so I can give more love to others, right? This will also stop me from being grouchy most of the time. LOL!

4. I swear to take better care of my health this 2011. I’ll be turning 39 on my birthday, and my son will only be 5 years old in July, so I need to be healthy to be able to care of my one and only child. I will not miss any medical appointments and I will make sure I will have the required procedures done as instructed. This month, I’ll have my second shot of Cervarix (anti-cervical cancer vaccine). In February, I’ll have my lipid profile checked again; I just need time to flush out all the bad cholesterol I ingested during the holidays. LOL! I will also be having my annual MRI of the head in March, and before the year ends, I’ll have my mammography done, too.

5. I will strengthen my prayer life and spiritual life this year. While this is the most important thing that I need to help me accomplish all the things I need to do every single day, I’m ashamed to admit that this is the most neglected area of my life. I’m a novice here, and I need all the help I can get. I’ll start by going regularly to church and reading the Bible.

Sorry for my long post, folks! I just got carried away! LOL! If I may add, good luck to all those whose main goal this year is to find tech jobs. May we all accomplish our goals in 2011!

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I’ve been joining Mommy Moments for almost 2 years now. I started participating in this meme on January 18, 2009, and I think I haven’t missed a single entry since then. Chris even gave me 3,000 Entrecard points last year as a token of gratitude for having had the highest number of Mommy Moments’ entries for the year 2009.

I’ve said this before that Mommy Moments is the only meme I’ve joined since I started blogging actively during the last quarter of 2008. That’s because I’m a busy work-at-home mom, and I only have time for just one meme. Mommy Moments is also aligned with my blog’s purpose, which is to document my child’s milestones. I was able to do that with some of the photos of my son that I’ve shared every Friday.

Now, let’s get started with this week’s theme. I’ve just gone over my list of Mommy Moments’ entries for 2010, and my runaway favorite is “Lights, Camera, Pose!” It’s an accomplishment for us moms when we’re able to capture our children’s cutest, nicest pictures, and I think I’ve done that in two of my photos for this theme, which I posted last August 6, 2010 and which I’m using again for today’s “Most Memorable Mommy Moment in 2010.”




Happy New Year, everyone!

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Like most Filipino families, we, too, observe some Christmas family traditions every year. One of those traditions has something to do with food. Each year, we make sure we have Christmas ham served during Noche Buena. Yesterday, hubby brought home Purefoods Fiesta Ham that we simply had to try for our midnight snacks last night.


Noche Buena isn’t complete without Purefoods Fiesta Ham
Another family tradition during Christmas is giving gifts. Every Christmas, I make it a point to prepare gifts for each member of the family. Christmas is the time of the year that I can play Santa to others. This is actually a tradition that started when I began earning my own money and was inspired by a dear aunt who played Santa during Christmas to us when we were young and until now. A good portion of my 13th month pay is spent on buying Christmas presents for those people on my list.


Some of my Christmas gifts, the rest have already been transported to my parents’ place in Cavite last Sunday
And of course, Christmas is celebrating with those we love. In a few hours, we will be heading to my parents’ place in Dasmariñas, Cavite to spend Christmas with them. My son is already excited to see his grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins, and most of all, the gifts he would receive from them. LOL!

Christmas is really the season to be jolly, so I’ll forget about work and car insurance rate today and tomorrow. Is that okay, Boss?

Have a Merry Christmas, everyone!

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We’re supposed to talk about gifts for this week’s theme. To be honest, I’m not done with my Christmas shopping yet, and to think we only have 8 days left until Christmas. My gifts for family are still not complete. As a matter of fact, I still don’t have gifts wrapped up for my husband and my son.

But my husband already bought my son and me advance Christmas gifts. He bought my son this cute and colorful Funny Flip Train last Sunday.


Two weekends ago, when hubby bought new office clothes, he asked me if I wanted a new wallet, and I said why not? He told me to go to Nine West because he already found one that he liked. He just wasn’t sure it’s what I wanted. He was right; I didn’t like what he chose. LOL! I picked a different style and color.


And just last night, he brought home a small handbag that his office mate was selling. He asked me if I like it. I asked him how much, and he said, “Don’t ask anymore because you’re not going to pay for it, anyway.” So yes, I just became the proud owner of this teeny-weeny Xoxo purse handbag.

Thanks, Dad, for giving us gifts (and love) this Christmas! I hope I can give you a special Christmas gift, too, like a Galaxy Tablet PC. Can I charge it on my credit card, Dad? LOL!

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I really meant to bring our camera to the mall to find the littlest, cutest Christmas tree for this week’s theme, but because I’m so busy, I didn’t have time to do that. I don’t really need to look far, however, to join Mommy Moments this week because we have a teeny-weeny, green and glittering Christmas tree right at home.


Our little Christmas tree has been standing tall and proud at the top of our kitchen cupboard since two Christmases ago, together with its little buddies, Santa and Frosty. Actually, those three are the only Christmas decorations we have in our house since 2008. That’s because our one-bedroom condo unit is too small to accommodate a bigger Christmas tree and other Christmas trimmings, so I didn’t bother decorating anymore.

Yesterday, my son asked me, “Mommy, where are our Christmas decorations?” I pointed him to these three tiny Christmas figures, and he said, “No, Mommy, the Christmas decorations on the wall. We don’t have those.” I just kept quiet because I don’t have plans of buying anymore, next Christmas, maybe. So that’s the story of our little Christmas tree.

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