Yuri's Second Birthday Wishlist!

It's Yuri's second birthday next Wednesday!

(Okay, you and I both know that this is my wishlist and not Yuri's. Let's just leave it at that.)

Wow. I have a 2-year old. I still could not believe it. Despite being thrust into motherhood unprepared, here we are, 2 years later, not just surviving but actually thriving!

Okay back to topic. Yuri's turning 2 in just less than a week. Unlike last year, when we held a small Mickey Mouse-themed party, this year, I have nothing planned. Seriously! I found out the hard way that Yuri wasn't into socialization especially if majority of the guests are adults. I still recall with guilt how he just stayed in one corner because he was anxious and afraid of all those people. I also recall how I was forced to let his yaya put him to sleep because I was still entertaining guests. I had a heavy heart the entire time because the night was supposed to be for him, but his mom wasn't even able to pay attention to him.

Other children might like big parties and company, but no, not my then 1-year old Yuri.

So this year, we'll stay at home and eat as a family. We'll also be eating out on the next day, which is my sister's graduation. Even if he's bigger now and already know how to socialize and make "friends," I wouldn't take a risk again. I want to make sure that he's really happy on his day and that I give my full attention to him.

But because we're not planning to do anything big this year, my focus turned toward - what else? - gifts!

I really, really like buying stuff for Yuri (what mother doesn't?), but lately, I've been more interested in buying food rather than things. But when I tried searching for gift ideas, my interest in toddler stuff got rekindled. Ayayay!

Job wanted to buy Yuri a bike, but I complained that the boy already has two rides, and that's too many for me. We decided to get the bike when he's older.

With the bike idea scrapped, we were at a loss for ideas. What could we give Yuri? Well, the following are the products of my "research." Haha!

1. Salt Water Sandals

Photo: justbyliving.blogspot.com

I am borderline obsessed with the idea of little feet inside open leather sandals. Can you imagine? Aside from the fact that Yuri is about to outgrow his shoes, it's also already summer, and his kicks don't really fit in. Plus the sandals are just too gwapo for words.

I wanted to buy something affordable, but I could not find anything like these sandals in local malls. All they have are rubber/nylon/neopyrene sandals with velcro. Nope!

Photo: www.lesjeunespousses.blogspot.com

Should we buy Yuri Salt Water sandals? They're a bit pricey. Do we think we should take the plunge?

2. Toy Airplane

Photo: www.babble.com

This is what Job wants to give Yuri (aside from the bike). I thought he just wants to level-up from toy cars, but he reminded me that when Yuri was only a few months old, I told him on impulse how it would be nice if Yuri becomes a pilot. Thank you for remembering that! Yes, it would be really nice! I can also imagine Yuri zooming around with his "epeyn."

3. Indoor Basketball Hoop

Photo: http://www.toysrus.com/

Not the most creative gift idea, I admit, but aside from cars, Yuri is becoming very interested in balls. Who knows? I might have a little Lebron in my hands.

4. Aqua-Doodle Playmat

Photo: reliancehvg.co.in

Since Yuri is already turning 2, and since summer is approaching (which means a lighter workload for me), I knew it's time to give the boy serious homeschooling. I mean, we teach him all the time, but pretty soon, I need to be intentional about it.

Thus the desire for an Aqua-Doodle mat. Yuri's been showing interest in writing and drawing; unfortunately, he prefers markers over his magnetic board. And you know markers are never good news. I like how this mat only uses water. No accidents and stains!

Notable omissions:

1. Play-Doh set (I'm not sure about this since I'm planning to make our own!)

2. Books (Dami pa kaming di pa nababasa! Books are always on my list, though.)

3. Toddler Armchair - yung may cushion (I have yet to find an affordable but high-quality chair.)

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Tutorial: How to Create A Yarn Ball

I know how to draw, but I never consider myself an artsy person. Give me paper, scissors, and glue, I would make a mess. I'm simply not creative enough! Why am I saying this? Well, to encourage you, maybe, and convince you to also do this yarn ball project! It's so easy it's insulting! :-)

This is actually my sister's school project, but we had so much fun doing it that we had to do it again. It's so easy, swear!

Have you seen those Pinterest posts that feature beautiful yarn balls? I never would have thought how easy they are to make until my sister's teacher gave this assignment. At first, we thought it was a nonsense assignment. What skills would you learn by doing a yarn ball, ha? To be honest, until now, I still think it's pure nonsense. Nevertheless, it is fun to do!

Plus, the teacher didn't provide clear instructions. She didn't even provide the complete list of materials. I keep thinking she's never done a yarn ball before haha. Anyway, we gathered the materials we thought were complete. Here they are:

• Balloons (The number depends on how many you want to make.)
• Yarn (This also depends on how thick or dense you want the yarn balls to be.)
• Glue (But the teacher required Zoy or gawgaw - the more economical choice)
• Scissors for cutting yarn and a bowl to hold the Zoy or glue mixture
• A secret ingredient below

I was the one who bought the yarns, so I chose the multicolored ones. Kikay!

Now, pay close attention. We had to do my sister's assignment twice. This is because, apparently, when you use glue alone, the balloon would stick to the yarn and would not create a yarn ball. Her wonderful teacher didn't have the sense to complete the list of materials, which resulted to a lot of wasted projects.

I thought there must be a barrier or something needed in between the balloon and the yarn. A quick Google search proved me right! It's a good thing my sister had me for a sister. Hahaha! Now, here's the secret ingredient to creating a successful yarn ball:

Good thing I had an unused tub of petroleum jelly in my room! I bought one on impulse in SM, but I was never able to use it. And that's the only available brand at that time. Sue me.

I wasn't able to take photos of the process because it is messy! You would have to rely on your imagination here - don't worry; it's not rocket science. Anyway, here are the steps that you need to do:

1. Create a glue mixture using glue (or Zoy) and water. Don't make it too watery!
2. Soak the yarn in glue. Be careful not to make them tangled.
3. Squeeze the excess glue mixture in the yarn and wrap it around the balloon. Make it random and create gaps in between for a better effect.
4. Tie the end of the yarn to keep everything from unraveling.
5. Remove the excess glue from the balloon.
6. Hang it under the sun and wait for the entire thing to be completely dry.

There was no sun when we first made the project because it was raining. We had to hang the balloon indoors, so the wait took longer than expected.

When the yarn becomes completely dry, you can pop the balloon na! I wasn't there when they popped the balloon (boo!), so I wasn't able to take a photo. However, this is the finished product:

It's so nice! It's even better in person haha. It reminds me of the ball they use in Sepak Takraw (do you know that Pinoy sport?). Also, it's very tough and can withstand weather. Well, I think that depends on how strong your glue is. Gawgaw is strong, methinks.

We're planning to make several red and green yarn balls to hang outdoors for Christmas!

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Yuri's Study Table is All Set - Thanks to Rinadesign!

Yuri is only 16 months old now, but our study table for future schooling is already ready. Talk about excited. Here's the story.

Almost 2 months ago, Ms. Patty Laurel-Filart promoted a contest on her blog for Rinadesign. That was right during the time when I became obsessed in designing Yuri's future study table. Super advanced lang, no? Wala kasi akong magawa that time. Haha! Anyway, I have heard of Rinadesign before. I've seen Ms. Rina Albert-Llamas's products on Zalora and Lazada but found them too expensive. Well, they're not actually that expensive. Cheap lang talaga ako. Hahaha!

Without much ado, I joined the contest. Agad agad. Three winners of 1k gift certificates and one winner of a 3k gift certificate will be chosen. You only need to post the Facebook page why you deserve to win the prizes. Here's what I posted on Rinadesign's Facebook page:

I'm such a drama queen, but what I wrote was true. Almost an entire month passed by without hearing news about the contest. I wanted to think that the winners were picked in private already, but my gut feeling tells me I will win. Swear! I joined the contest on June 15, and on July 11, I received this surprise:

ZOMG! I'm one of the three winners of the 1k gift certificate! I did not win the grand prize of 3k (fellow blogger, Tin, won - congrats!), but it's seriously fine with me. I'm super thankful! After the surprise died out, I panicked because winners need to claim their prizes in Manila. Oh no! 

I immediately messaged Ms. Rina on Facebook, pleading her to please allow me to shop online instead. Ms. Rina is super, duper bait, because she immediately said yes! No questions asked! Of course, I immediately browsed the albums to look for what I should buy. I already know that I need to buy wooden craft for Yuri's future study table, though.

I think I'm a difficult client to deal with because I keep changing my mind. But Ms. Rina is undoubtedly a woman of grace because she was really patient with me. Because my orders were heavy, there would be a bigger shipping fee. I volunteered to pay for it myself.

A day after I received my Instax from Jollibee, I received another LBC package. This time, there was no element of surprise anymore because I knew exactly what was inside the box:

All of the following are for Yuri, save for the last two photos.

I think you already spotted a pattern. Elephants! For Yuri's personalized water bottle (which he will use in, well, 5 years???), I originally chose an elephant design. However, I thought that by the time Yuri will be using it, he might not be interested in elephants anymore. So I chose a design that mirrors his favorite objects - cars and trucks.

The following are for my sister, Chelsea:

My sister has a fascination for notebooks. Well, don't we all? She seriously likes this notebook because the pages are all very makinis. I love it, too!

The following is not actually Yuri's study table. We have yet to buy one. Instead, that's my bedside table. I just removed my books, notepads, and planner, and made way for Yuri's new stuff:

Cute, isn't it? I told you we are excited. Now, I can't wait to buy Yuri a proper study table!

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