January 31, 2013

Got my prize - finally!

November of last year, I decided to try my luck out at Nuffnang's Benetton contest. A month later, I found out I'm one of the winners. More than two months after writing this post, a million follow-up emails to AJ of Nuffnang, and ultimately a tweet, I finally received an LBC package.

And yes, the people from LBC know our house already. Okay, photos!


If you're a blog reader, you would know that this is the millionth photo I have of LBC packages. Okay, sa sunod, JRS naman!

 

Sino ba si Marie Maan Laxa? Hahaha. Sige na nga!


Woo, suspense!


Yey! My bottle of Benetton Paradiso Inferno is finally here!


But it's a male fragrance. So, standby ka muna Benetton, okay? Hintayin muna natin yung gagamit sayo. :-)

Now that I finally received my prize from Nuffnang, I'm thinking of joining their Sulit contest. Bet?

January 30, 2013

My Love's Birthday

To Daddy:

It's your 2_th birthday yesterday. (Fill in the blank na lang hehe). I intended to write a birthday post for you the day before yesterday, but I seriously could not think of anything to write. And yes, after the delay, that's the best title I can come up with. Too cheesy. Teehee.

It's the third birthday you're celebrating with me and the second birthday we're celebrating as an official couple. And year after year, I still find myself at a loss for the right words to say to you. I couldn't settle on just "good enough." You deserve only the perfect words.

So I'll say what I need to say. First, I am sorry. I'm sorry for never being as patient as you are. I'm sorry for always picking fights. But you need to understand, Dy. I just love being wooed by you. And I'm glad you know that. :D

More importantly, thank you. "Thank you for loving me." - These are the exact words you told me almost two years ago. But it's me who needs to say these words. Thank you for being such a loving person to me and a doting dad to Y. Thank you for understanding our situation. A lesser man would have given up a long time ago, but you proved to me that you are not the lesser man. Thank you for persevering. You are not perfect at all, Dy, but thank you for trying to be the best man you could be.

Most of all, I love you. Please know that I can never love you more than I love my God or our son, but you're the only one I love this way. And I plan to keep on loving you this way, Dy.

To my best friend, my lover, my confidante, my inspiration - to the love of my life, happy birthday. :-)

Love,
Mommy

Hello there, mini version of me!
PS:

Sorry for the grainy photo. All our pictures are in my old memory card, which my old cellphone mercilessly killed. The rest are already printed, and I didn't have time to scan them. So I grabbed a photo from your phone. Hehehe.

January 29, 2013

My Sunday in Photos (and OOTD)

It's already Tuesday afternoon, so this weekender post officially qualifies as a late post. It's just that I was very busy yesterday. Excuses, excuses. But it's better late than never, right? :-)

Anyway, how was your weekend? My weekend is only one-day long. It's because I work from Monday to Saturday (my choice), and I am not really overworked. Also, hindi naman ako kapos sa oras with my Y since I'm at home everyday. So Sunday's my official weekend, and here's what we did last Sunday:

I gave Y and his rubber duckies a bath.  Ang sarap sumali!
Moments later, my sister took my OOTD photo. This is my "I'm-so-bored-with-all-of-this-shite" face. Hahaha!

Dress - Forever 21
Shoes - Solemates that heinously mismatched with my dress. I seriously need to buy new flats!
Belt - Random red cloth belt I found in my closet
Pouch? - Halo

On Y:
Rompers - (Still) Carter's
Shoes - (Still) Pitter Pat 
Of course, I had to take my sister's photo, too. :D

Dress - The first dress I bought online... 3 years ago
Pants - They are actually my leggings, but pants na sya for her haha
Sandals - I don't know where they bought this!
We arrived very late at the church, so we stood at the back and waited for it to end. Why were we late? My mom and dad had a tampuhan. My mom wasn't talking to my dad, so they kind of forgot the time. They still weren't talking in church, and we were supposed to just go home after. But my sister insisted we go to SM Lanang Premier (as usual).

My dad wooed my mom there and nagbati na nga sila. Haha. So we all decided where to eat because gutom na kami. We always wanted to try Classic Savory but never had the chance because it's always full. But since it's already past lunchtime, we luckily found vacant seats inside.

NOTE: I forgot to bring my camera, so all the photos are taken with my phone. Please forgive the graininess.

My mom and I, with a sleeping Y (rhyming!)

My sister: Picture kayo
Me: Okay!
My mom: Uy, alam mo ba... Ay!
Okay, another picture! Mali ang angle ng buhok ko dito, anoba! :D 
And here are my dad and my sister, the Photocopies
Here's what they ordered.
I'm sorry, I don't know what any of them are actually called. Y and I were at the breastfeeding room when they ordered. Here are the photos I managed to take when we went back to the restaurant.

Fish with lemon
Fish Fillet
Fried chicken platter, I guess
So how was the food? Well, my mother and my "ancestors" all cook divinely, so we developed pretty high standards for food. I can tolerate bad movies and bad books, but not bad food.

Because of that, I hardly ate somewhere unless I'm absolutely sure the food is good. And, well, I'm not sure how to say it, but I don't understand why there are long lines of people outside Classic Savory during lunch time. We found everything we ordered a bit on the bland side. I guess we're never eating there again. Sorry. :-(

Alright, there you have it! My simple but happy Sunday. I hope you also had a good weekend!

January 26, 2013

My OkayOkay Experience

Have you ever bought something from OkayOkay.com? I haven't, but I decided to try my luck two weeks ago. I chanced upon the website and saw that it contained deals from various merchants - just like other deal websites. But unlike the other deal websites, I saw that they sold more baby's and "domestic" products. Voila! I found myself making an account to buy stuff.

After making the purchase via Dragon Pay, I went back to regular programming. I wasn't expecting the arrival of my orders because the website said they aren't due to be delivered until the 22nd. To my surprise, the first order came after just three days. Fast! Strangely, my two orders didn't arrive at the same time. I told the CRS about this, and she told me na ganyan talaga. Oh well!
My first order arrived fast!
And on the next day, I was caught in surprise again because my second order arrived. Alright!
But the second one is not late, either!
So what did I buy? The single or those without children may not find them interesting. But I couldn't resist them! One of them is truly useful, but the other one is, well, cute to look at. Teehee. Here they are:
Bin-8 Bottle
The first one is a Bin-8 Bottle. It looks like a bottle but it really is an assortment of several basic kitchen tools. It originally cost P750 but I got it for P280.
Just needs a bit of cleaning and polishing. Just wait and see!
Funnel, lemon squeezer, spice grater, egg masher, cheese grater, can opener, egg separator (not in photo: measuring cup)
I am still living in my parents' house, and I am not exactly "fond" of kitchen chores, so this is virtually useless for me. But I just couldn't resist buying it. I found it so cute; I just wanted to take it home already!

My second order is my original purchase. This is the one I intended to buy all along. Since Y is already crawling, I need to keep the house safe - thus, the need for this:
30-pcs Home Safety Starter Pack
This Safety Starter Pack has 30 pieces (obviously) of contraptions that would make a home safer for the exploring baby. Chos, parang commercial. Hahaha! Anyway, this originally cost P500, but I got it for P299.

The contents of the box
The contents of the box all laid out. I have no idea how to use them. Hahaha!

My first OkayOkay.com purchase
Before ending this post, since it was my first time to buy from the site, let me share with you how the transaction went.

PROS:
- Cute household stuff! They don't have anything fashion or makeup-related, but it's a wasteland for domestic divas and wannabes.
- Transaction is swift and painless, thanks to the Dragon Pay option.
- Customer service is great! I had a question on two occasions, and on both times, I got connected to a CSR immediately, who was able to answer my questions well.
- Delivery is fast. Well, thanks to Xend and LBC!

CONS:
- Shipping is not free! I was used to buying from websites, such as Zalora and Lazada, where shipping is free. I had to pay P120 for shipping to Davao.
- It's now or never. Since it's a deal website, the merchandise are only sold at a limited amount of time, and they feature different stuff in a week.

Well, I just checked now and found there are other cool things again. Oh no!

January 22, 2013

It breaks my heart.

Disclaimer: This is a personal and emotional post. You may skip this and read my other posts instead, if you want to. :-)

If you know me, you'll see me as a funny person who will try to make you laugh. Chances are, you'll see me as a "sunny" person who barely gets in a dark mood. I will kid you around until you get annoyed. And these are true. I'm mostly an all-smiles person who will wear you down with my hyperactivity.

But as the saying goes, sometimes, the happiest people are the saddest. Unfortunately, this reflects my truth. Am I kidding? No, I'm not. This is the first and only time I will admit this. I am sad.  I think I've been able to hide this perfectly, but in reality, my heart breaks everyday.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you may have already known that my boyfriend - Y's dad - and I are not together. Well, we are not together physically, but we are still strongly together metaphorically. And that's what breaks my heart. Here we are, having a strong and perfect relationship, but we couldn't see each other and he couldn't even see his own son.

You see, my parents are very much against my boyfriend, J. For them, I was the "perfect" daughter. I got good grades, never got into fights and never even entered a relationship until I graduated from college. So they had pretty high dreams for me - until I got pregnant. So for them, J destroyed all of those dreams. And I could not blame them for getting mad. But frankly, is that enough reason to deny a child a complete family?

This is what breaks my heart.

It breaks my heart that Y is getting bigger and smarter everyday, but his dad is not here to see it. He was not here when Y was born. It breaks my heart to see that his dad never saw his first smile. J never saw how he fast he eats. J never saw how his son would light up when his favorite commercial comes on.

It breaks my heart to see other families that are complete. When I see other dads playing with their babies, I badly want to see how Y would have shrieked in laughter, too, if his dad played with him. I badly want to see how Y would fit snugly in J's arms. I'm pretty sure he would prefer his dad to carry him.

Most of the time, I pity myself. I could not even give Y a complete family. Y doesn't deserve this. But I can't cry. I need to be a strong because I'm not a little girl anymore. I need to be strong.

Every day, I pray for the courage to be able finally stand up for J and Y - my own family. But every night, I get into bed defeated. Cowardice has eaten me again. And I tell myself, I'll try again tomorrow. But honestly, I don't know what to do. And it breaks my heart.

So if you're reading this, do me a favor and tell me what to do.

Y's Pick: Fruit Porridge

Y eats a lot of fruit, which is very good for his immune system. Mango used to be his favorite, until we realized he's allergic to it. One evening, as I was feeding him mangoes for dinner, I noticed there were red rashes around his mouth. Later, his whole face began to turn red. The next morning, I fed him mangoes again for breakfast (makulit?), just to be sure that the mangoes were the cause of his irritation. Sure enough, the red rashes appeared again.

Nevertheless, we didn't have problems with other fruits. Y eats whatever I feed him, but he clearly prefers fruits. While I would love to give him fruit all the time, I was afraid it wouldn't give him the energy he needs as a growing baby. So I decided to just mix fruit and carbohydrates: rice, cereal, potatoes, etc.

For example, last Christmas season, we had a lot of apples. That was also the time when I first bought Nutri-del cereal. I mixed the two and, voila, fruit porridge! Here's what I did:


Ingredients and tools: An apple (of course), rice cereal (we use Nutri-Del), a knife, and a grater (not in photo), and a clean feeding bowl

The apple juice was actually unnecessary, but it was already on the table, so I included it in the photo. Hahaha!


First, cut the apple into half. A small apple can already produce a lot of "mush," and it can be too much for my 9-month old. However, please use as much as you want. :-)

Do you see that red "thing" in the foreground of the photo? That's what happens when you sterilize and boil a Tupperware bowl. I learned the hard way. Hahaha! Thankfully, it's still usable.


Second, grate the apple to produce very fine shreds of fruit. Make sure you grate everything and check for large pieces that can cause choking.

What happened to the other half? *burp* Oops!


This is what the apple mush looks like. As you can see, it's already very watery, so I didn't find a need to add water.


To make the apple mush more filling, I added cereal into it. 

Please forgive my blurred hand in the photo. I took the photos on self-timer, and I was captured mid-movement, and I was too lazy to take another photo...


Here's the mixture before it was mixed. Just mix, mix, mix until the mixture is smooth. If you want to make the mixture fuller, just add more cereal until you reach your desired consistency.

(Desired consistency? Chos!)


Ta-da! Ready to be eaten and to nourish!


I also added his dose of Vitamin C into the porridge because I wasn't able to give him any for that day yet. Also, it adds more flavor into the meal!

Y is able to finish a bowl of apple porridge in less than 5 minutes! I fed him this for three days (to test if he's allergic to apples), and when he passed the test, I tried to see what else would work. Here are my other "concoctions":

Squash
Carrots
Papaya!*tururururut! tururururut! tutu turururut!*
Wait, they all look the same. Here's avocado to break the combo:

Creamy avocado
PS: I know you already know this, but as a reminder, don't forget to wash the apple and all the utensils first!

January 18, 2013

Outfit of the Day Posts c/o Instagram

Ever since I got an Android phone (and a cheap one at that), I became shamelessly addicted to Twitter and Instagram. Well, I've had a Twitter account for almost three years, but it's only now that I catch myself reading updates every minute or so.

And as for Instagram, I know I'm late in joining the bandwagon. I've been wanting to join ever since, but the service was only available to iPhone and Android users. Shamelessly, I will admit that the only reason I bought an Android phone is Instagram.

At first, I only posted photos of Y. Then, I began posting photos of things I bought or the food I eat. Lately, I began posting photos of my outfits, too. Not that my outfits are hype-worthy; I just like posting them. I reviewed my photos and here are some "OOTD" photos I have posted:

In Forever 21's fitting room: I was showing off how I fit into size-26 jeans again. LOL!
Top: Zip-front minidress, a cheap find from aionlineshop.com
Shoes: Zebra-print flats from Solemates
(Not in photo: The generic leggings I originally wore)
Before going to church:
Top: Loose gray blouse stolen borrowed from my mom
Jeans: Forever 21 (yes, I bought it)
Shoes: Tan-and-brown flats from SM Parisian
On Y:
Rompers: Carter's
Shoes: Pitter Pat 
Over a month ago, before going to the mall for a bit of Christmas shopping
Dress: Teal dress from ForMe
Belt: Geneva Katina Skinny Belt
Bag: Brown satchel from SM Parisian
My sister has a couple of her own, too:
Floral dress from Forever 21
Green polka-dot dress, also from Forever 21
As you can see, I don't have a single outfit that can make someone look twice. In other words, I think my clothes are simple and, well, not that interesting. But as a mom, I would choose a simple top over an "over-the-top" outfit anyday - my Y would only pull the heck out of it! So, no-nonsense style it is!

None of my clothes are too expensive and not all of them are branded. My shoes are either closed flats or open-toed sandals (imagine shopping with a baby in high heels). Also, I'm not model-like. In fact, with my 50-kg body and medium frame, I'm far from it! But does that stop me from wearing cute clothes and trying to look nice? Not at all!

January 17, 2013

Another Chance at a BDJ Planner

From the planner's back
I first bought a Belle de Jour (BDJ) planner last year. I was amazed of all the reviews it got, and sure enough, when I checked out its photos, the pages were all pretty! Plus, there were virtually unlimited coupons to fit any kind of girl. And just like that, I was sold.

I became what they call a Bella.

The two planners, side by side. Caught on camera: stubby hands taking a photo
Unfortunately, last year was the most hectic I ever had. Sure, I had no full-time job for most of the year. But due to the arrival of a little man called Y, I barely had time to take a bath, let alone write something in my planner. A few times, I heroically opened the planner, but those times were so few. So basically, the planner was left untouched.

A barely touched 2012 planner
Alright. Never touched.
And the coupons? I almost never went out last year. When I was still pregnant, I was huge and had acne (for the first time, I swear), and was too self-conscious to go to the mall. And when I gave birth, I never had time to shop (until just recently). So no, not one was used. At all.

Now, I want to give myself another chance. Surely, I won't be as busy as last year, right? Even though I now have a full-time job, I know I can find time to write things down because Y is bigger and we have a yaya. Then, I actually had a dilemma on what planner to use. Should I still avail of a BDJ planner, even when it costs higher than other planners? Should I buy cheaper planners? Should I try planners made for moms? But when I checked out the photos of the new BDJ planner, I was sold - again.

So I ordered another planner from BDJ. It arrived almost two weeks ago (so this is a late post):

Swiftly delivered by LBC. I swear, the people from LBC already know me!
The opening quote. I don't know why the text appeared curve in my photo...
BDJ 2013
Actually, my first choice was the limited edition, minimalist, leather cover. However, I think it costs too much for a planner. And the content is still the same, anyway. But I swear, I'm going to get that cover next year, if they still produce it. Anyway, here are some of my favorite planner features:

2013 Goals
Dream Board: I already have an idea of what to put in it, but I need to find a good pencil.
2013 Checklist: Can I complete them this year?
At least, I already have one number checked. :-)
Menstrual Tracker: I wasn't able to use this feature last year, but I may be able to use it now.
Gift List: Perfect for someone like me who goes overboard on buying gifts
Wardrobe Checklist: A new feature for the planner. This would come in handy when I begin my "de-cluttering"
Do I have enough styles? Do I have enough colors? This feature would really make a lot of girls giddy.
A Bills Tracker for the budget-conscious me. 

And, of course, a Cash Tracker: the only feature I abused in last year's planner.
I already started using it, which reminds me... I haven't written anything this week yet!

January 2013 :-)
Doodle-happy
I have a feeling my planner will be full of doodles.
BUT WAIT! I am disappointed with the current planner's coupons. There are less coupons that I could avail of, unlike last year's. Viviamo, if you're reading this, please take note that not all of your customers reside in the Greater Manila Area. Please, please, please partner with stores that are also available in Mindanao! Aren't we as important? *bats eyelashes*

How about you? What planner are you using? :-)

PS: Some of the photos have a pinkish tone because I took the photos against a red curtain. Bad move.
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