Summer Outing and Cake Blowing

After feeling guilty having no cake for Jared's 3rd birthday, a perfect ocassion came up where we can "celebrate" his birthday with cake and ice cream.

It was during the Tan family summer outing.

Scared of the traffic, we looked for a resort somewhere near. And what could be nearer than Pacita, Laguna where the resort is a walk away from my Tita's house.

So the saying it's not in the place, it's who you are with that applies here.

And what's memorable about this outing is that this is the first time Jared really enjoyed pool time. Here comes the nog-nog days!!!

we have cake! now, this goes to jared's scrapbook

Jared isn't looking at the cam but I had to post this. Mommy is feeling a bit pretty here. =)


Loving the water!

How I Wear My Slippers

Hi, my name is Jared.

Don't let my happy smile in this picture fool you.

I was playing happily with my toys when my Tati arrived home with a surprise! She has something for me. And I got so excited.

Unfortunately, she brought me slippers. I don't like them at all.
Tati, please give me back my sandals!

Easter Sunday at Home

Easter Sunday is quiet in our home. We miss the daddy in the house and we were tired from the pool outing cum Jared's belated celebration yesterday. We also attended a christening earlier.

I am too sleepy to do anything else. The easter eggs will have to wait until next year. I'm sure coloring the eggs will be a nice, exciting experience for our little boy.

Let me just post this photo taken last week during Palm Sunday. I know, I took pics during mass. But the flash is off, promise. And somehow I know God will understand as I want to capture the very first lenten celebration Jared participated in actively. He held the palaspas (palm frond) so that's active, right? Hehehe.

A No Cake 3rd Birthday

We arrived back in Manila on April 2, a day before the little boy's birthday, happy but tired.

The next day, we drove to far-off SM City to attend the first birthday celebration of Cyrus, my cousin's son.

Due to the flurry of activities before and on the day of his birthday, I did not even remember to buy him a simple cake with a candle to blow. Forgot to get him a new birthday shirt even.

Now, days after, I feel the guilt. I know for a fact he extremely enjoyed that birthday party we attended, and had a blast in Boracay. But for his album (which I am yet to finish-- I am getting there though), will I be content that the page dedicated to his 3rd birthday cake-blowing will be empty?

Hmmm, no. So tomorrow, while we have our annual Tan family swimming get-together, he'll have his cake-- and ice cream to boot! Yey!

Will post photos of his actual and belated birthday on Easter.

Keeping True to My New Year Resolution

Remember one of my new year resolutions?

This year, I promised to myself I will save, save, save! Not to the extent of starving myself, or totally depriving myself of the small things that make me happy (like shoes or a shirt--on sale). After all, these small things make me happy, and my happiness = a happy wife, mommy and a happy and peaceful household. =)

I have been putting this goal in my to-do list for the past few years but more important things get in the way, like giving birth, building a house etc etc. With a growing son (whose growth and development never ceases to amaze and entertain us), we seriously need to start exploring on how to better manage our finances and where to invest the little that we've saved.

I have already asked my good friend Claire on insurance with stock options.

I cannot really buy stocks at this point because I have practically zero knowledge on how it works. But it is something I will study. My end goal is to build enough for us in our retirement, a sum that would cover our health needs, something which can still allow us to enjoy trips as a couple or a family (our son would probably have his own planned trips by then ), a sum that would be there if we develop new passions or and have something to give to our son when he is already of age.

As parents, almost all of our actions are really for our kids, right?

Belated Post: My Birthday Celebration

My birthday celebrations are most of the time low key. If it's a workday, I always try to take a leave so I'll get to spend it with family. This year, it was a Sunday but since we were going on a vacation in a few days, I decided to spend it somewhere close by. Lunch was courtesy of my sister.


Kids get to eat free! My son enjoyed his buffet of bread and biscuits and endless bowls of ice cream

In keeping up with my 2011 resolution, I applied make up that day. Hmm, now looking at my pics, I really should apply more


We got a table by the window and we were bathed with natural light. So, its a good time for some nice family pics--but the men with us, my husband and Tito Den (Tati's fiancee) were camera shy. =)

Lola and apo bonding moments

I thank the nice gentleman playing the piano who indulged my mama's request to play a birthday song for me.

Never Too Late

The recounting of our boracay vacation isn't over but I am not done resizing the photos yet so that will have to come later.

But before we get busy with the activities this lenten season, let me share something that made me realize that age must not be a deterrent in letting us be experimental and adventurous.

I just bought my mom a 2 piece bikini. Yup, yup. Her first at the age of 60! I doubt if she'll really wear it by itself, but it even underneath a flimsy top or top and shorts for that matter, it can make one feel bolder, more alive. And in the Philippines, who really wears bikinis at 60, right?

So, humanda ka Boracay next year. hahaha.

Love you, mama!

Boracay: What we Did in Boracay

During our vacation in Boracay, we..

ate of course! lined up the glasses at Jonah's. And surprise, he drank watermelon shake thinking it was red ice cream


our first meal on the island: merienda at Manana. Jared was an all too willing server


posed for pictures. lots of it.


buried his feet on the sand


exercised to build stronger muscles for next year's beach adventure


made our (temporary) mark on the sand


climb a pole--or try to. something we might never get to do in manila

to be continued...

Summer School and the Absent Mommy

By this writing, my son has attended summer school for 4 days. I'm a bad mommy--I've never been with him at school yet, or even just dropped him off. Even the camera isn't cooperating. I asked his lola to bring it to school the first day and got a total of 1 shot. Forgot to delete the other photos. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

But his daddy is leaving for a training soon ans we needed to fix a few things before he leaves. My license for one and the MMDA ticket I got in 2009 ( I promise to write about this soon), the car transfer and registration and buying and packing stuff.

They'll be on a break starting Monday, which is the day I planned to bring him to school. Talk about timing.

Hope I can sit in and observe him in class before this month long class comes to a close.

Boracay: The Boat Ride

To reach Boracay, we took 4 modes of transportation. I know our little boy enjoyed the adventure.

This is the boat ride. His very first.

There was no need to reach for that bottle of Benadryl that I was thinking of initially. Benadryl=drowsiness. And good thing too since he clapped his hands at the sight of the banca, bravely crossed the wooden plank from dock to port only holding the hand of the boat man (while mommy quivers after him), enjoyed the 10 minute booat ride to the island and made his first step on the island-- with all his energy intact.




We took the tricycle too after this but we had too much stuff with us for me to take pictures of that so I'll probably skip that mode of transpo and proceed to recounting what made our days busy during that vacation.

Boracay: Up We Fly

During the less than an hour flight to Kalibo, our boy alternately looked outside the window, struggled in his seat even when the seatbelt was still on, ate almost a whole pack of Fita biscuits, took out his crayon and paper and posed for mommy's camera.



More Boracay stories coming up!

Boracay: Flying for the First Time

This was a trip planned very carefully. The travel dates were sandwiched between our birthdays so it was, in effect a double celebration. I wanted this one to be special since this is our birthday treat for him as he turns 3. But the ‘new’ me didn’t want to spend too much as we still have home improvements to do. Booking two months in advance was a blessing because I was able to take advantage of the numerous promo fares (Cebu Pacific MNL-KLO and Zest Air KLO-MNL).

Our travel dates: March 30 to April 2
Travelling Buddies: daddy, mommy, Jared, lola and tati

I didn’t really have high expectations of this trip. This being Jared’s first and all and from our experience when we took him to Philippine Aerospace Museum last year. I was just praying for good weather and a safe flight. My rule to all of us is simple: do not compute and do not get sick. =)

Days before the trip, we were prepping him for the beach already. On the day of the flight, he woke up early, excitedly as if knowing what is ahead of him. Got to the airport at 8.30 am for our 11.30 am flight. Checked in without hassle and had our
2nd breakfast for that day.sitting comfortably on the luggage cart as we enter the airport

helping mommy check the group in

The boarding time was late by almost 30 minutes but he didn't mind at all. He was all over the place! He also amused himself by watching the planes come and go, eating, playing with his train and running back and forth.ala amazing race

at home at the airport

Come boarding time, he was beside himself with excitement. He put up a brave face even if I knew he was a bit scared because of the engine sound. He dutifully put on his seat belt (but keeping it on was an issue), took his seat by the window and waited patiently.

He might be too young to remember his first ride but by writing it here, I hope it'll bring him back to the day he first flew. The first plane ride was uneventful, which, coming from a parent with a three year old, is just plain great!

to be continued

Little Chef

Before the next part of the Boracay tale, here are photos of the boy that I only got to see tonight, from my sister's camera.

Here's the little master chef hard at work cooking his breakfast


p.s.
the only real reason why I'm posting this instead of the the Boracay thing is that I'm still sorting hundreds of photos, and trying to create a scrapbook that hopefully will see print.

Boracay Inspires

My job requires me to be constantly “inspired”. And so I look at store displays (and shop a little bit in the process), browse nice websites, take a look at trends, read magazines etc etc. But nothing is more inspiring than looking at my boy who will be 3 years old (tomorrow). I’m inspired that I am half of what created this little boy wonder and I am inspired that my every action, my words have an impact on how he’ll turn out—directly or indirectly.

And so we try to create little wonderful traditions and memories that I hope he will enjoy, remember, learn valuable lessons from, cherish and look forward to in the years to come. In the process, I’ve found inspiration from these little pockets of memories.

Our recent 4-day getaway to that little paradise called Boracay is two pronged. It gave me loads of inspiration—it is hard not to get inspired by the blue skies, the calm seas, the oh so cool fruit shake on a hot day and the little boy squealing in delight as the waters run “after him”. No better way to look at things than through the wonder, the amazement in the eyes and the voice of our boy. On the other hand, if our pockets will allow, we’ve created a yearly tradition that he can look forward to.

These trip will be told in several posts. This is just the intro and a sneak peak of how we enjoyed our family time.