Project 101: Day 3

I got worried this morning, I woke up late and Baby Bee wanted to cuddle so I wasn't able to get up and work out in the morning. I was determined to workout in the afternoon though so in spite of the chores I had to do, the moment the meat was on top of the stove waiting to get tender, I popped in the dvd and started to workout. Bee was watching me and laughing at me and exercising with me the whole time, I just had to be careful to put the dumbbells out of her reach. What a way to power through.

I must say though, I getting used to working out but after new year I have to really focus on the other side, my diet!

Weight: 210lbs
Exercise: level 1 20 day shred
Food:
Breakfast - a bowl of oatmeal and a toast
Lunch - turkish pizza and yoghurt drink
Snack - grapes and half of the left over longganisa from breakfast
Dinner - rice and chicken roll

Project 101: Day 2

It was very difficult to get up this morning coz it was so dark and it was too cold and my little one is hanging on my neck and trying to cuddle more tightly as she went back to sleep, but I forced my way out of bed and asked honey to cuddle with Bee so that I can start working out.

For entertainment, I watched the last episode of Glee as I followed Jillian Michaels bidding to move my body :D. Perspiring feels great.

In the afternoon, honey picked me up from the office and took me out on a date that explains the huge snack I ate. We decided to juat share the pizza coz I told him i didn't want to eat a full meal.

Weight: 210lbs
Exercise: level 1 20 day shred
Food:
Breakfast - a bowl of oatmeal and ham sandwich
Lunch - sandwich with cold cuts, non fat yoghurt drink, veal soup and croquettes
Snack - a couple of bites of roast beef sandwich, 1/4 lean ham and pineapple pizza and a slice of apple pie :-(
Dinner - didn't eat dinner anymore

Project 101: Achieve Ideal Weight

Ever since I gave birth, or maybe even before that, I have always been on and off the diet route. See I have a very sweet tooth, if not the sweetest, there is. And this is the reason why I struggle. However, now that I don't breastfeed my little Bee any more and now that I have settled into motherhood quite well, I no longer have an excuse not to go back to my healthy weight.

So today, I started working out in the morning again, I woke up, plugged in the 30-day shred by Jillian Michaels and started to move with the DVD. I should say it was a very nice feeling afterwards, hey I don't get to sweat at all during winter if I won't do this.

The plan is simple enough, I just want to overhaul my diet to include more healthy stuff and try to squeeze in at least half an hour a day of exercise. So to help motivate myself, I plan to make this space a journal of my progress (or retrogress as the case maybe). I also entered into a bet (anything that will help eh :D)with my cousin, whoever losses more weight by April wins 5 thousand big ones! (that is in PHP)

For today:

Weight: 210lbs (OMG my heaviest weight ever so this better go down!)
Exercise: 30 Days Shred DVD - 20 Minutes in the morning
Food:
Breakfast - 2 hard boiled eggs and orange juice
Lunch - turkey sandwich and non-fat yogurt drink
Snack - grapes & some chips (couldn't resist)
Dinner - three tablespoons of rice and sinigang na baka

Les Paellas: Back to Barcelona

It delights me to no end when I unexpectedly discover gems amidst the sprouting choices of restaurants in malls these days. That is exactly what happened when we went to Les Paellas. I just had a long and boring hair treatment at Toni & Jackie’s in SM North and I could already hear my tummy grumbling. When I’m in this state of being, I no longer have the patience nor the strength to stroll down a crowded mall and crave for a particular menu, when I’m in this point of hunger and frustration, I would gladly try anything within a few feet from me. Having said that, I told honey that we should just have dinner at Les Paellas coz it’s the most interesting restaurant within ten steps away from the salon where I had my hair treatment. That is how we discovered this food haven.

As the name suggested, the resto’s specialty is paella so we ordered paella negra which was absolutely divine, it brought back memories of our Barcelona trip. This paella is almost as good as the one we had in Les Quinze Nits, and that is saying something about this dish. The only edge of the Spain version to the Les Paellas version is that the latter had less squid in it. This is a must try!

Then we ordered Shrimp Pizza, and man was this a real treat! A single bite and your mouth is treated to a myriad of wonderful flavours that doesn’t seem to belong to each other but somehow went so well together, it was bliss! I’m definitely coming back to this place if only to get another bite of this pizza.

With such succulent dishes, I could care less about the ambiance of the place, but having said that, Les Paellas has a very homey feel to it, very comfy couches and very friendly staff. Only thing I found odd was that there was a wait staff lying on the last couch (we were sitting on the couch next to it) trying to nap and when new clients arrived she had to be asked to move coz they wanted to take the last couch. Oh well, that was just an observation and in no way would hinder me from going back to that quaint little shop.

I would recommend this place to anyone who wants to get a taste of authentic Catalan dish! Yummy!

Chillin’ at chilli’s

Normally, when we’re about to go back home to Manila, I would make a list of all the places that we have to go to and restaurants that we have to dine in, however, this year, because I was quite busy the week before we fly back, I didn’t manage to make that list. Luckily, honey is always on the look out for the restaurants that he knows I want to go back to, that is how we manage to go back to this all time favourite place.

During our vacation, we made it a point to make sure that our itinerary for the day would cover places within the same area to avoid wasting time in traffic. That day, we were in Greenhills area, we had a foot spa appointment and we were about to go to a dinner appointment afterwards. The spa appointment finished early and we had some time to kill, we were intending to go to the shopping centre when hubby spotted Chili’s. We decided to eat a light snack (or what we thought would be a light snack) coz honey had a conference call anyway.

I was just so glad to be back to this favourite resto, it brings back nice memories. The food is still great but the highlight of the night was this divine chocolate mud pie! Even better that I remembered it.




I sure hope we can go back to this place the next time we’re back in Manila,

My little one is no longer a baby

Has it already been twelve months, really? 52 weeks? 365 days? 8,765.8 hours? 31,556,926 seconds? Has it already been a year when your daddy and I brought you out into this world? Time seems to have evaded us, I can still remember that fateful night when I was in tormenting pain trying to cope while you’re pushing your way out of my body, but the real magic was when the doctor finally placed you on my bare chest, while the cord was still binding us, you looked up at me then all the pain melted into thin air, as if I didn’t feel any of them at all and my heart almost exploded with the amount of love I had bursting inside me only for you. You were this tiny little lump who meant the entire world to me and your daddy. Now, my little one, you’re a whole new person all on your own.

Twelve months it’s been, you’ve grown much taller, you’ve gained a lot of weight, a couple of your teeth have popped out, your face has changed and you are no longer a lump, you are now a very beautiful toddler, my beautiful toddler. I erupt with so much pride each time you achieve a milestone, and I know that most people think they are normal things that are bound to happen anyway, but for me, your mother, they were spectacular achievements that made you even more special to my eyes and my heart. I couldn’t even begin to describe how your playful grin could wash away any illness I have, how your laughter can take away all my stress, how your simple touch can make me go over the moon and back. You might be tiny, but you have no idea how humongous you are to me, and the mere thought of being a witness to more of your spectacular moments make me look forward to the years to come.

My little one, I pray to God everyday that he transforms me into the mother such an angel like you deserves. I beg our creator that he guides me and your dad to raise you and hone you and cultivate you in such a way that you will achieve your fullest potentials. Above all, every night and day, I implore our Father in heaven that your dad and I may manage to fill your life with so much love, laughter and fond memories to last you an eternity.

It doesn’t matter how many more centimetres or feet you grow, or how many pounds you gain or loose, or how many teeth would pop out or fall out, no matter if you’re a lump or a toddler or a young adult or an adult. It doesn’t matter if you’re in kindergarten, elementary school, high school, college or even post graduate studies. All of these won’t matter to me. In my eyes and my heart, you will always be a reason for living. You and your daddy are my motivation to strive and be a better person, just because in my heart I feel you deserve more. I can write platitudes about how deep and profound my love for you is, and still they wouldn’t be enough, nor would they even come close.

Someday soon you will read this humble note from your doting mommy, and someday you’ll understand, and I hope and pray that someday as you read this you’ll know that no matter the years, you will always mean the world to me and your daddy, it won’t matter how many years pass, you my girl, will always be my baby. I love you so much Charlie!

My Little Girl is no longer a Baby

Has it already been twelve months, really? 52 weeks? 365 days? 8,765.8 hours? 31,556,926 seconds? Has it already been a year when your daddy and I brought you out into this world? Time seems to have evaded us, I can still remember that fateful night when I was in tormenting pain trying to cope while you’re pushing your way out of my body, but the real magic was when the doctor finally placed you on my bare chest, while the cord was still binding us, you looked up at me then all the pain melted into thin air, as if I didn’t feel any of them at all and my heart almost exploded with the amount of love I had bursting inside me only for you. You were this tiny little lump who meant the entire world to me and your daddy. Now, my little one, you’re a whole new person all on your own.

Twelve months it’s been, you’ve grown much taller, you’ve gained a lot of weight, a couple of your teeth have popped out, your face has changed and you are no longer a lump, you are now a very beautiful toddler, my beautiful toddler. I erupt with so much pride each time you achieve a milestone, and I know that most people think they are normal things that are bound to happen anyway, but for me, your mother, they were spectacular achievements that made you even more special to my eyes and my heart. I couldn’t even begin to describe how your playful grin could wash away any illness I have, how your laughter can take away all my stress, how your simple touch can make me go over the moon and back. You might be tiny, but you have no idea how humongous you are to me, and the mere thought of being a witness to more of your spectacular moments make me look forward to the years to come.

My little one, I pray to God everyday that he transforms me into the mother such an angel like you deserves. I beg our creator that he guides me and your dad to raise you and hone you and cultivate you in such a way that you will achieve your fullest potentials. Above all, every night and day, I implore our Father in heaven that your dad and I may manage to fill your life with so much love, laughter and fond memories to last you an eternity.

It doesn’t matter how many more centimetres or feet you grow, or how many pounds you gain or loose, or how many teeth would pop out or fall out, no matter if you’re a lump or a toddler or a young adult or an adult. It doesn’t matter if you’re in kindergarten, elementary school, high school, college or even post graduate studies. All of these won’t matter to me. In my eyes and my heart, you will always be a reason for living. You and your daddy are my motivation to strive and be a better person, just because in my heart I feel you deserve more. I can write platitudes about how deep and profound my love for you is, and still they wouldn’t be enough, nor would they even come close.

Someday soon you will read this humble note from your doting mommy, and someday you’ll understand, and I hope and pray that someday as you read this you’ll know that no matter the years, you will always mean the world to me and your daddy, it won’t matter how many years pass, you my girl, will always be my baby. I love you so much Charlie!

9 Happy Years Together, 4 years of marital bliss

I know it’s such a cliché to say that time flies but what can I say, it’s absolutely true. I still remember, oh so vividly, that faithful day that I’ve laid eyes on this guy , I was still a gooey teenager back then (OMG, I was still a teen when I first met him…. Geez….shivers!) and I know it’s another cliché but I never thought I’d be spending the rest of my life with him.

Looking back these past years, I couldn’t be more grateful. It was the best years of my life. I have been blessed with a man who not only takes care of me but loves me unconditionally in spite of all my flaws. I have been blessed with a person who is my person… someone I can count on and someone who, I know, will always be there come what may. I don’t know what I did to deserve such a man who puts my needs over his own. I always tell honey that he is a blessing and an answered prayer and I believe this is so more as we spend each day together. And if all these blessings were not enough, the generous father up there even topped it up by sending us an angel to complete our little family.

So, nine years down, and if these nine years is even a fraction of how our eternity together will be then I can hardly wait for eternity with my man (I keep on saying nine years which is when we started our relationship and not when we got married coz I see our wedding as an integral chapter of our love which began earlier). I’m not saying that the nine years has been perfect or that we are the perfect couple, we do have some arguments, oh yeah we do, and we sometimes don’t see eye to eye but all of these are like spices which further enhances the flavour of our love. We do have one golden rule though, we always make sure that we keep our fights clean.

And to my honey, my one true love, my strength, my refuge, my sanity, my life, I guarantee there will be tough time, I guarantee that one or both of us would want to get out of this, but I also guarantee that If I won’t have you, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life coz deep in my heart I know that you’re the only one for me (borrowed lines from our favourite movie). Love you so much honey! Happy Anniversary!

Ber Months are here!

via

Oh, that time of the year is fast approaching and its evidenced by the sudden change of wind, its much cooler now and the days becoming shorter. I remember this morning, honey dropped me off here in the office and I told him "look the leaves of the trees are becoming golden again".

ahh yes, its that time of the year again. Let be the first to greet you all a very Merry Christmas!

Sojourn: Vienna

(via)

As soon as I tear off the leaf of the calendar to reveal August, I notice that the office halls are quiet, rooms are empty and tables in the café are barely occupied. Vacation time has come upon us. Previously, honey and I never scheduled our holidays on this month coz we always thought that this is the only time when we get good weather here in Holland, why leave? But since EuroConference of CFC is staged in Vienna this year coinciding with the vacation period, we decided to go there, anyway we have never been to Vienna before.

So we packed our bags, loaded the car and off we went at 3 am to start our supposedly 10 hour journey to Vienna. I was a bit worried about Bee coz this is her first time to travel such a distance, but I was thinking this will be good practice for her for our very long flight back to Manila in November. Surprisingly, she slept most of the trip and woke up to eat and played a little bit when we stopped over at some rest stations then went right back to sleep the moment we hit the road again. I was very surprised coz she doesn’t normally sleep in the car.

Passing through Germany, I was shaken to my very core, never in my life have I seen people driving on the road at 200kms/hr. I have always known that Germans are great car makers, that is why we opted to buy a German car, but now, I can also attest to the fact that they are also proficient in using them.

Upon entering Austria, the weather seemed to be different, it was cloudy and gray the entire time we were driving through Germany but in Austria, it was bright and sunny. We decided to take a stop after passing through the boarder of Austria and when we stepped out of the car, it was warm and cosy. The landscape that greeted us was breath taking. In the couple of days that we stayed there, I’ve noticed that they have both great scenery and awe inspiring architectures.

Vienna, is a gem all on its own, there were a lot of dazzling places to visit. We are definitely going back there.

Terms of Endearment

I don’t know what it is about cute babies and terms of endearment, but ever since we had our little one I’ve come up with gazillion of cutie baby terms of endearment to call her. I can’t seem to be satisfied with darling and little angel and sweetheart, I just created more. The other funny thing is how my terms of endearment for our little one catch on pretty quickly.

Like I specifically remember, there was a phase when every time we do something for our little Bee, like for example we’re in the supermarket and I would say “let’s buy a tub of strawberries para sa maliit na tao (for the little person)”, or “I’m cooking porridge for the maliit na tao”. Then the other week, our tita, the one who takes care of our little one, told me “I already prepared food para sa maliit na tao” haha.

Then more recently I have been making up songs when we give Bee a bath and I call her my little Pachooch! (I have no idea where I got that from). Then honey started calling her Pachooch as well, then he asked me, “why are we calling her Pachooch again? Where did you get that from?” I said, “I don’t know, why are you calling her that?” hahaha…

Awww, our little baby Pachooch is growing so quickly and I just can’t seem to call her enough names to let her know how much I cherish these moments with her.

Seasaw

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of SeeSaw. All opinions are 100% mine.

For someone who goes gaga over American TV series like me, it irks me to no end that although the local channels here in features the series that I’m dying to see, they are always a couple of episodes behind! I have to search high and low for sources of these much awaited series and try to find a good enough site that will let me watch the latest issues between McDreamy and Meridith, or the latest drama between Stefan and Elena.

I’m so glad that SeeSaw has finally arrived. SeeSaw is an online TV that has both free and paid for contents from various providers like BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5, Indi Studios and various movie studio content. Hubby is also excited about this coz he’s now able to catch his favourite sports program which are not being aired here. Yey! What’s good about SeeSaw is that you have an option to watch hundreds of programs for free or rent premium shows from the US and UK, you can also catch up on 4oD and Demand Five programs. This site also allows you to share what you are watching with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.

If all of these are not enough, I get to lounge around and enjoy great comedy shows on their Comedy Section. Who doesn’t love a good laugh.

I’m am really looking forward to browsing through other amazing stuff SeeSaw has to offer.

Resolve to eat healthier

(via)

No, this resolve doesn’t have anything to do with losing weight or looking more fab. It’s just that ever since our little Bee started eating solid foods, I’ve been planning to also do a revamp on our daily menu. I wanted to incorporate more greens in our daily food intake.

After reading this article, I’m more convinced that I should take a step towards over hauling our meals. It doesn’t mean that we’ll become vegetarians, I’m just planning to try and make a conscious effort towards eating healthy stuff. This way, Bee will grow up and get used to eating better and becoming healthier in the process.

I will start off by researching for recipes that are yummy and healthy at the same time.

Here’s to eating healthy!

My Precious

If there is anything at the top of my wish list, that would have to be an LV bag. I’ve been lusting for it for so long but I’ve been going back and forth in deciding whether or not to get coz the practical side of me is whispering that I can do a lot of things with the money that I’ll buy the bag with.

Finally, two weeks ago, Honey solved my dilemma for me, he bought me my LV bag! It was a normal Wednesday, hurriedly went to work, did some spreadsheets, made some analysis, browsed websites in between, when honey called me up. He asked me “Honey, which is the LV bag that you like?” I said, “I like the Verona GM”, then he said “Ok, I’ll get if for you, I’m already here in the LV shop”.

You just got to love my honey, he’s big on surprises, I was really surprised coz there was no occasion. And he told me he didn’t take me with him coz he knows that the fickle-minded me would just tell him not to buy the bag coz its too expensive, so he just went off and bought it himself. I love him to bits!

( i love the intricate design of this little lock!)

I am so fond of my new bag, its big enough to carry all my stuff. My breast pumps, my bm storage kits and all my other knick knacks. Ayluvet!

Eclipse and a Nice Surprise

I have got to say last Wednesday turned out to be a really, really great day for me! It started off just like an ordinary Wednesday. I went to work, created spreadsheets, analyzed numbers, browsed sites in between when honey called me. He said he reserved tickets for Eclipse (Twilight Saga) and said he’ll just drop by a friend’s house coz we have been previously invited for a dinner that we cannot not go to, then we’ll go and see the movie. I even teased him that at least now we’re quite sure that we’ll make it to the movie unlike what happened with New Moon. However, later that afternoon, honey’s plan changed, he called me and said he’ll go home first before going to the dinner but the rest of the evening will remain unchanged.

So that afternoon, as I walk the street that leads to our door, I saw honey coming from the other side with a huge paper bag in tow. My oh my, it was a Louis Vuitton paper bag… Oh I finally have my bag. I digress, this deserves a whole new post.

Anyhoo, we watched the movie as planned. I was surprised that the cinema was full, all the while I thought there would be few people since its midweek. So there we were in the middle of a full packed cinema, most of the movie goers where teenagers as expected.

Of all the three movies that has been released so far, this is the one that I enjoyed the most. I love how they did the flashbacks for each of the characters. I have always been with team Edward but I must admit, Jacob is HOT! All the teenage girls (or maybe even the more mature ones) shrieking, at a decibel that could hurt a dog’s ear, every time Jacob graces the screen with his shirt off. I think the new Victoria is also prettier than the one who portrayed the character in the past two movies. However, I was just wondering how come the Denali Clan has not been introduced yet, specially the grudge that Irina would hold against the Cullens coz that plays an important part in the plot of the next movie.

It’s definitely an entertaining film and a must watch. I’m already looking forward to the next one!

Bee enjoys the pool on a warm day

We normally get around 10 days with great weather in this part of the globe. That is why last Monday, upon waking up to a great morning sun, I just felt this urge to stay at home. After having breakfast, Bee and I were playing in her gym when an idea popped in my head. Since it was a great warm day, I thought we might as well go out, get our new under water camera and march on over to the pool, anyway it's Monday and there is a class for baby swimming lessons that afternoon.

Honey was already in the office so I had to maximize my convincing power to make him come home early in time for the lessons. It didn't take much to make honey come home so we're all set.

We arrived a bit late for class but it turned out great. Charlie enjoyed herself and we're very happy about our new camera yey!

Here are some of my favorite shots for the day

I'm already looking forward to our next swimming lessons!

New and Improved TV Time

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of SeeSaw. All opinions are 100% mine.

One of the things honey and I share is a great love for watching TV, either movies or series. After a long day's work, we both look forward to sit back, relax and cuddle in the sofa with a big bag of chips and ice cold soda while enjoying our favorites. There are times when we are in the mood for good old suspense thriller movies, still at times we crave for a heart warming love story but most often than not, honey and I just love to laugh our hearts out as we enjoy our favorite comedy movies or series. As they say, laughter is the best medicine, that is why, more than the rest, laughing our hearts out as we watch these series and movies completely relieve us from the stress of a tough day. However, there are times when watching reruns after reruns of the same old show can get old. That is why it's great that I have discovered SeeSaw which offers a brilliant solution to the same old boring regular scheduled-programming.

SeeSaw revolutionizes our way of enjoying television programs. Through SeeSaw, we are given an option to watch hundreds of programmes for free. We can also opt for the rent premium shows from the UK and US. One of the best things about SeeSaw is that we can also catch up on 4oD and Demand Five programmes. SeeSaw also provides the functionality to its users to share whatever they are watching with their friends on Facebook and Twitter. Regular television programming can't top that. What sets SeeSaw apart from other site where we can watch streaming videos is that whatever we are watching from this site can be played in full screen safely and legally.

I was amazed when I browsed through SeeSaw's Comedy Section. They have a pretty comprehensive list of recent hit series that I've been wanting to follow. I can't wait for my next TV time with honey, we're going to have so much fun exploring this new treasure we've discovered.

Our Little Bee Reads

I have been in love with books for as long as I can remember, naturally, when we had Bee, I wanted to share with her this fervent love affair that happens in every leaf that is turned. We started by reading to her while she was still in my womb, I’d read to her fairy tale books, the harry potter books, the twilight saga books and every book that I was reading that time.

Reading to Bee became a bonding moment for us, when she was born, and honey went back to work, in the middle of the day we would cuddle up in the sofa and I would read to her parenting books and baby books that I was devouring during those times. It was a win-win situation, I get to read up on things that I need to learn for our little one while she gets exposed to different kinds of words which I’m sure fascinated her.

We also bought several books that we read to Charlie before she goes to sleep and there are those books that keep her company when we travel just to keep her entertained during the day.

Of all the books we bought for Bee, her favourite is a board book entitled Hooray for Fish, I think she gets amazed by all the colours and shapes that is in the book. We always bring this book when we travel coz every time Bee starts to get bored, I whip this book out of her bag and she would be contented browsing through the pages… of course I help her flip through the pages.

Here is my little one reading her favourite book.

and here she is reading another of her books...

My Little Bee Eats

Ever since we started introducing our little Bee to solid foods, I have found a new joy. I get giddy every time my little angel reaches out and puts food on her mouth. I can see her enthusiasm and her enjoyment as she nibbles away her strawberries, or her oranges, or her shrimps or her chicken. Motherhood really gives new meaning to previously mundane stuff.

Our video cam has conked out on us so I told honey we should really get a new one to capture this moments with Bee. We finally got a new cam, we actually got a Canon D10, it's a waterproof camera with video... I thought since we already have a DSLR might as well go for a multi function camera.

We grabbed the first opportunity we have to start filming Bee as she eats. This is my little big girl eating her Breakfast last Sunday morning. I went a little crazy and played with the video on IMovie... i love love love IMovie!

Mobility for People with Special Needs

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of NMEDA. All opinions are 100% mine.

This weekend was one of the most glorious weekends that we have had this year. It was sunny and warm but breezy enough to give us such a luscious temperature. Since we only get this kind of weather like five days a year (lols), what better way to spend it than to soak ourselves in as much sun strolling around. As soon as we woke up, honey, Bee and me packed our bags, got in the car and headed off to the nearest park. While we were parking, the driver of car two cars away from us grabbed my attention. He was getting off the vehicle and I noticed that he was being assisted by his passenger coz he was transferring into a wheel chair.

It never ceases to amaze me how much differently abled people have more mobility now. I can only imagine how restricted a handicapped person might feel and how limited they actually are without the technological advancements and aids that they now enjoy. I believe that the progress in terms of disabled people going back on track to their much desired road of independence are fostered by institutions such as NMEDA. NMEDA is the only association that promotes safe driving and equipment for disabled people. They are non-profit and their members are required to adhere to the safety standards of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NMEDA dealers (members) are the ones who sell handicap vans and vehicle modifications for disabled people.

Through organizations such as these, people who are handicapped can be assured that they are getting help towards becoming more mobile and by transacting with dealers who are accredited by NMEDA, they can be assured that their safety is priority and the quality of the products they acquire are assured. Dealing with accredited dealers does not only benefit the disabled person but also their families and caregivers not only because these products help them become more independent but also because they are assured of their safety when using the products they purchased.

Safety and independence are two words that I know disabled people give much importance to and I think that it is great that there are institutions now like NMEDA who work towards the betterment of disabled people.

I heart BLW

Bee is a bit more than six months now and I can’t really put into words how glorious these past couple of months were. I’m scared and excited and thrilled all at the same time each time our little family embarks and reaches a new milestone for our little angel. I think one of the most exciting things we have done so far is introducing Bee to solid foods.

When it comes to my Bee’s growth and well being, I always want to be armed with as much information as I can. That is why when Bee reached her 3rd month, I started to peruse books, websites, magazines and what have yous to research on how to best introduce solid foods and what type of foods should I give her. After a lot of digging, I came across a website which fosters a non conventional way of introducing adult food to babies, the method is called Baby Led Weaning (BLW). I was intrigued!

I started to search my trusted shopping site to find books that will give me more details on how to go about BLW and I found this little treasure.



The idea of BLW is quite simple. Since kids love to explore and since at six months (or from the time babies can sit with very little or no support) babies are mature enough to hold finger foods and put it in their mouth, instead of pureeing the food that we will give to babies, we should give them finger foods to start with. To simply put it BLW encourages parents to just let our babies get on with eating.

I tell you honey and me were so nervous the first few times that we let Bee eat coz she enjoyed it a lot and she would shove carrots and broccoli into her mouth and would start to gnaw at it. There were times when she would gag and my heart would really thump so hard but then after she gags for a while she would just move on to pick up the next piece of food that grabs her attention and would happily suck, gnaw and chew on it like nothing happened.

I further researched and consulted Bee’s doctor on what food I should give her and what she can’t eat yet. After knowing those things, I just gave Bee everything and she gladly tries everything we put in front of her. We bought her a high chair that has a big detachable plate of sorts and we would put her food in front of her and our entire family will eat together, I love it!

Apart from making our mealtimes more fun, with BLW there is less fuss in preparing food for our little one, she normally eats what we eat (but for her share, I don’t put salt). She gets to exercise her grip and hand and eye coordination coz she is also the one who picks the food from her plate and she is the one who decides whether she’s had enough of not. I must say, I’m a bit relaxed and I don’t stress on how much or how little she eats coz at this age, eating is more like playing for her and her main source of nutrients is still breast milk and she still drinks her milk as she always did. So far, Bee has tried so many kinds of fruit, veggies and meats but her favourites are carrots, oranges, shrimps, broccoli, strawberries, pumpkin and cauliflowers.

I will definitely recommend this method of weaning to my mom friends.

My Bee @ Keukenhof

I’m loving the Month of May, we have four holidays this month and then that is it, the next public holiday that we’re waiting for will be Easter next year. This year is not at all great when it comes to holidays. Last week, honey and I only worked for three days, Thursday was a holiday and Friday, we took the day off. Thursday was devoted for shopping stuff for Bee, specially the things that we’ll need now that she is about to eat solids and Friday, well Friday became a pleasant surprise.

Initially, honey and I were planning to go to Den Hague to get Bee’s passport, which finally arrived after one and half months of application. However, came Thursday evening, we received a call from a friend giving us free tickets to Keukenhof, who were we to say no. We had to go on Friday though coz the garden is only open till Sunday and our schedule is really full for the weekend. We hit two birds with one stone, we went to the embassy very early and had a quick lunch then went to Keukenhof in the afternoon. The weather was glorious and the garden, as I remember it, spectacular.

This is the second time to visit Keukenhof and Bee’s first. The garden never fails to impress. I wasn’t expecting that the garden would still be that stunning now that its almost the end of spring, normally the flowers would have already withered by now, that is why they were already scheduled to close that coming Sunday.

The array of flowers in display was just amazing. The colours were so vibrant, the smell was heavenly and the afternoon we spent there was simply divine.

I'll let the pictures speak of how beautiful the garden is

Our Little Family in the Orchidarium

I just love those Colors

I would really like to have this plant at home

Look at how happy our little one is

Tulips, Tulips and more Tulips

My Honey and my Bee

Loving the smile

this is so unique

Looking forward to the next visit

A special day for that special woman

via


In less than two weeks our little baby Bee will turn six months old and I’m so excited! I still can’t believe how wonderful these past months have been. I once read a quote (I forgot from whom) which says “You’ll never know how much love your heart can hold till someone calls you mother”. Now that I am one, I completely understand what she means, I have never imagined that I could love someone this much. Now that I have a child of my own, I have a more profound appreciation and love for my mom, oh what I would give just to be able to tell her that now.

Being a new mom and all, its inevitable that people would give me, more often than not unsolicited, advice about how they think I should raise my kid and I remember telling honey, “you know what, I appreciate some of the advices that I receive but it pains me that I couldn’t get the guidance from that single person whose opinion weighs more to me than all other advices combined.” This special day makes me miss my mom more than ever, this is the last special day I have celebrated with her.

I know that Bee missed much coz she didn’t meet her Mama, coz special could not even begin to describe how wonderful she is but I know that she looks after Bee and sends her love to her granddaughter in her own special way.

And to all the special ladies, for whom this day has been dedicated to, you are all heroes in my book and the world is a much better and loving place because of all of you.

Happy Mother’s Day Mama! I miss you so much!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the special women out there!

Great Gift Idea

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Powermat. All opinions are 100% mine.

Two Christmases ago, I gave Honey an IPhone and I can see he loves it to bits. He surfs the net with it, downloads videos and games with it. He tells me it’s very handy. For me, I only use my mobile to call, rarely send text messages and alarm in the morning . However, it frustrates me to no end when I couldn’t reach honey through his mobile because his used up all it’s battery.

Lucky enough for me, I found Powermat. I have been bugging hubby to bring his charges all the time but because he needs to bring a different charger for the office and for his car, he just doesn't bother. So now if I get him this then it will be convenient for him, he just needs to pop it in the car and get it if and when he needs it. Oh, and he can also use it to charge his IPod and I can borrow it to charge my Blackberry, how cool is that? While browsing through the site, I am more convinced, this will definitely lessen the stuff we bring every time we travel coz it's compatible with our camera, PSP and even our navigation system.

I'm defitely going to get this for hubby before our planned vacation in August, I'm sure its going to be very handy.

Queen's Day 2010

One of my favorite holidays here is the Queen's Day. Every year, hubby would always stash coins in anticipation for this event. You see, during Queens day, there are Carnivals (Kermis) and flee markets. Honey and I love in the booths of the Kermis and normally honey would win me lots of stuffed toys!

This year it was more special as this is Bee's first Queen's day. And perhaps because honey is more inspired this year, he won a record breaking 9 stuffed toys! I tell you, Bee's room is getting crowded and so is our guest room :-). if we go on at this rate, there will be no more room for other things but stuffed toys in our rooms haha. My favorites from among the stuffed toys honey got this year are the characters from Winnie the Pooh cartoons, they are so cute plus I've learned of a Winnie the Pooh character I have never heard of before.... Heffalumps! He is a cute elephant.

I'm already looking forward to the next Queen's day, i'm even more thrilled coz I know that by that time, Bee would can already enjoy some of the rides in the carnival so we'll be having much more fun! yey!

Party Planning in Full Speed

Ever since we've decided to celebrate Charlie's 1st birthday party in the Philippines, the stage mommy in me took over and went on overdrive researching for ideas to create a super party for our little one. A lot of people were laughing at how serious I was at planning this party, but hey, this is our one and only baby so I want this to be really special and memorable. I know, i know she might not even remember this day, but that is why I'm planning to hire a good photographer and a good videographer.

So I officially started writting letters of inquiry to caterers and party planners last February and after two months, the party is really taking form... I'm so excited! I've finally decided on the party planner, we haven't signed a contract yet but I'm so happy with her ideas that I'm so sure we're getting Hi5 Event Planning & Design to organize the event. I did inquire with other party planners but when I look at the venues they styled, I don't get that wow factor, that is why I really persisted on contacting Hi5. Kathleen, of Hi5, is such a darling and although I haven't seen what she will churn up for my daughter's party, I'm quite certain it will be awesome, looking at the venues she styled, her creativity surely shines through, and another thing i like about her decors, they are really amazing and classic, i hate tacky decors.

Kathleen and I have already thrown ideas back and forth and because I have already seen samples of her work, it's so easy to communicate with her what I want coz I know she gets me.

For now we're still deciding on, well basically everything, the venue, caterer, photographer and videographer, entertainment, carts and other stuff. But finally choosing an event stylist that i can trust is a huge step. Yey! I'm so looking forward to the next stages of our planning

My Daily Dose

I would give anything to spend an entire day with my little girl. However, during weekdays when i have to go to work, I need to suppress the urge to pack up and go home. But there are days when I get wonderful surprises such as this one.



Honey worked from home today and so I got my post nap picture. I just love it! I realized Bee has a lot of red dresses hehehe...

Little Bee on the Pool

From the very start, we have given Bee her bath at night. This way, it became a pre-bedtime activity for us three. Bath time for Bee has always been fun, boisterous and splashy, specially now that Bee is kicking a lot. I observed how much fun Bee is having when she is aplattering all over her bathtub. This is the reason why I've decided to look for a baby swimming class that Bee can participate in and luckily, i have found one very close to our place.





So when Bee turned two months old (which is supposedly the youngest age a baby can start with the swimming lessons) Honey and I took her to her first class. She was the tiniest and youngest of the class. She couldn't stop looking at the water and the clown fountains and everything that is around her... it was so adorable. I asked Honey to accompany Bee in the pool for her first lessons so that I can take pictures. And how cute is she in her swimwear?!?



It was a fun class, there was singing and splashing and jumping. She couldn't take her eyes off the water... It was so endearing when she got startled as Honey splashed water on her face and she begun to cry. But that was just at first, the next time she was ready for all the splashes.



The classes are twice a week and since Charlie is still very young, we don't really attend all the classes, but we so look forward to everytime we can attend the class...

Post Nap time Pictorial

When I was still on maternity leave and Bee and I were the only ones at home, I got into a routine of washing up Bee at around 11pm then feed her then put her to sleep. Another habit that I got the hang of doing is taking her picture when she wakes up and send it to honey so that he'll see Bee while he's at work. I so miss those days of cuddling Bee the entire day.

Today however, I got to be on the other end of this routine. Honey is working from home today as our nanny is traveling so he's taking care of her the entire day. A little after lunch a really nice surprise greeted me on my mobile.



There she is... my little bundle of cuteness just up from her nap.

Here are some of the other post nap time shots I have of her.




This one I think is taken before her nap that is why she is all too serious... she wants to sleep already hehe




If you noticed all her shots are taken while she is seated at her throne (her bouncy chair) haha... she just loves that chair.

Ahhhh, I wanna go home to now to see my angel.... two and a half hours more!