Before the Grind Begins

It's Saturday, the third of January, and also officially the last day of "vacation." Technically, I don't get a vacation, but because the students are on Christmas vacation, it means there's almost no essay to review over the holidays. Thus, self-imposed vacation for me.

How are you?

I feel as if it's been so long since I last interacted with someone online. I know there are still occasional updates on this blog, but my mind has been far from blogging during this vacation. Aside from the busyness that comes with the season, I just wanted to make the most of this down-time. The truth is that I have several things I need to blog, but I don't want to sit in front of the computer just to blog. After all, this is the only time of the year when I can afford to not look at my laptop for a whole day!

Today, I was able to review four essays this morning and none at all this afternoon. So I'm taking a short time to drop in and blog. There are also many things in my mind that I feel the need to write something to let off some mental steam.

Source: allthingsdisneysfrozen.tumblr.com

Aside from going back to regularly working, here are the things that face me once Monday begins:

1. I need to go back to eating a healthy diet. 

I'm sure you have heard this a million times, and like many other people, I've pigged out a lot over the holidays. I actually can't wait to eat red rice, white meat, and vegetable salads again!

2. I seriously need to go back to exercising and working out.

Which I haven't done in, like, a year, and my body is seeing the effects. I'm so big.

3. I will be beginning my review classes for my brokerage exam.

This means I won't have any weekend free from January to March. I'm a bit anxious for it to start since I haven't been in a classroom setting for years, but I'm also excited to learn a lot of new things.

And some long-term preparations:

4. I need to get ready for a family trip on March.

5. I also need to prepare for the official start of our homeschooling on June.

So now, I'm making the most out of the last day of vacation and, at the same time, worrying over some stuff that I don't need to worry about. #OCDproblems

What about you? What do you need to do once vacation is over?

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Christmas Luncheon with Friends at Belito's Vineyard

Did I really write "Christmas Luncheon"? My friends would surely laugh at the term, but the old lady in me is pleased haha. So let me call it that, and besides, it's not as if I could call it a “party," and “get-together" is too generic a term. Riiight?

Photo by Christine Mata

So thank you for reading that totally pointless opening banter hee hee. Anyway, today, I'll tell you about this Christmas luncheon (stop trying to make luncheon happen) with my friends at this new discovery called Belito's Vineyard.

We had other options including Sea Green and Gogi Gui, but the night before our date, I suddenly craved for paella. Which, in hindsight, was weird since I am not a fan of paella. Still, I searched for the best paella in town. Tiny Kitchen wasn't an option since we didn't see it as toddler-friendly, but I stumbled upon a review of Belito's Vineyard.

No one among us was familiar with the place, but the photos of the food and the ambiance were effective enough in enticing my friends. Aha, paella, here I come!

Before I talk about the place, let me force upon show you adorable photos of us (Warning: Photo overload):

Photos above by Christine Mata

Photo Story: What Christmas 2014 Was Like

Hello! How are you guys? I can't believe it's already the weekend after Christmas. Wasn't it just yesterday when we were scrambling for gifts for family and friends? Now, it's nearing New Year's Eve and we're gonna say goodbye to 2014! I'm not yet ready!

So, because I'm still in a Christmas mood (itis still Christmas, right?), as usual, in tradition of documenting my Christmases with Yuri (hopefully soon with Job!), here are photos to show how I spent my Christmas. I hope you could tell me about yours, too!

Christmas Decorations

Christmas Rush

Hello friends and readers! Merry Christmas!

I'm taking a rest from all the Christmas preps that kept me busy from sun up. Man, am I so tired. After preparing food, I scrubbed the kitchen clean (at least I think it's finally clean!) and cleaned the rest of the house. All those calories I burned from general cleaning would be back later anyway. Then I figured to drop in and write a quick blog post to, well, chat and wish you well. Let me tell you about my day yesterday.

I've experienced Christmas rush yesterday. I've always avoided going out so close to Christmas, but I had two appointments yesterday. I took Yuri and my sister with me to brave the traffic.

 Taken at the restaurant where we would be eating later

First, there was no taxi available anywhere (#nocarproblems). So we walked from our village to a neighboring village where jeepneys are available to take our chances. Fortunately, a taxi passed by with a passenger, and we made a signal for the driver to come back. Buti nalang he did come back for us when he passed by many other waiting passengers. Thank you Lord!

But the traffic was worse. Actually, I would choose getting stuck in traffic than getting stuck in the road with no taxi, but you get the point. Anyway, the ride to the mall that would normally take us 15-20 minutes took us an hour. I'm sorry, Manila friends, but I'm just not used to traffic jams. But, surprise, surprise, the taxi fare only cost less than P10 more than the usual!

Christmas Gift Idea: Hot Rod City Playmat

I know Christmas is only days away, but I'm sure some of you are still shopping for gifts. Am I right or am I right?   

If you're looking for a gift for a young boy in particular (any age!), my suggestion is the Hot Rod playmat. You can also buy it for a little girl who loves cars!

Basically, it's a mat designed with a terrain and tracks. That's right; it's designed to be run over by cars and trucks which are, safe to say, are the obsessions of many little boys.

I got mine when I won a Cudsly gift certificate giveaway on Manila Fashion Observer. I contemplated on buying a Kiddie Sofa (which was what I really wanted to buy pre-winning) but decided it would be too bulky to ship and may be left unused because as a mobile little person, Yuri likes carrying his chair around.

So I decided to buy something that fuels the vehicle obsession. I did not, however, want to buy another truck during that time. Then, I stumbled upon the Hot Rod City Playmat.

Top 5 Christmas Gifts for Everyone

Because Christmas is not just for kids, right?

I love looking for Christmas gifts (or any kind of gifts for that matter) for children. In fact, I have written about them twice: gifts for babies and toddlers and gifts for older toddlers and preschoolers. And I plan to write another list. Addict lang?

But we can't ignore the fact that there are also non-little people that we have to gift, diba? I came up with ideas that will hopefully address everyone's needs.

1. THE GIFT OF TIME

Okay, it's always important to spend time with people who are important to us, but I'm talking about a wrappable gift here. After all, we should be giving people our time every day of the year, right?

Photo from Charles Goodies

As noble as the other interpretation is, I'm actually talking about a watch. I'm taking based on experience. Though I don't wear a watch myself, everyone close to me loves them. They have different preferences, too, which I think reflect their personalities. Job, for example, loves watches that show military time. If I have to give a material gift, watches are on top of my list.

2. THE GIFT OF REST AND RELAXATION

Finance Friday: How Will You Spend Your Christmas Bonus?

It's December once again! For most of us, that means Chrismas is near. For many of us who belong to the employed sector, that also means more moolah!

This is the time of the year when many of us receive Christmas bonuses and 13th month pays. Unfortunately, since I am technically a freelancer, I don't receive these kinds of benefits. What I do is work double-time (since I am in charge of my time) so that I will have extra money for Christmas.

Last year (woah time flies!), I talked about suggestions on how to use the 13th month pay. It's an awesome post so please read it haha!

But what about the Christmas Bonus?

If you read my post about using the 13th month pay, I suggested that we donate 10% of it to charity. That's because I consider this regular income. It means that it's something expected so we can include it in a regular budget.

However, the Christmas bonus is not considered regular income because first, it is not always certain, and second, we may not know how much it is or when we will receive it. So I have a different view about it.

First Look at Certified Positive Daily Interact Planner

I thought my Certified Positive planner for 2014 was the best.

Until my new Certified Positive planner for 2015 arrived.

It wasn't as if the 2014 version of the planner left a lot of room for improvement. On the contrary, I thought it was perfect! In fact, when I was awaiting the arrival of the new planner, I imagined it would be difficult for the Certified Positive team to "upgrade" what would basically be the same planner with the same content. So I prepared to received a planner that, at best, would be equal to last year's.

Well, I was wrong!

Finance Friday: No Cramming for Christmas!

"Christmas is not an emergency; it comes every year." - Dave Ramsey

Who else thinks Dave Ramsey is on point here? No one would oppose it because it's true: Christmas comes every year and, guess what, we know exactly when it happens!

But why do we wait until the last minute to prepare for it? I'm not taking about the decorations and the planning. We usually begin celebrating Christmas on September 1 (right?), and even before Halloween, some of our neighbors have already decorated their homes.

No, I'm talking about preparing for the spending.

A lot of people (like me) cram for Christmas. The result? Impulse buying, overspending, and buying either too many gifts or too little.

Since we all agree that Dave Ramsey is right (if you don't, feel free to tell us why!), I think there should be no excuse to cram. Since we know it's already the season to be jolly, we should have already started preparing for it. Financially.

How do we do this? Here are some tips:

My Off-Price Show Shopping FInds

Last Sunday was the last day of the Off-Price Show. Actually, I didn't know that it was. I kind of know that it's happening at SM again but I sort of ignored it because I wasn't very impressed with last year's Off-Price Show.

But my father insisted to go because he still regrets not buying the pair of Crocs slip-ons he saw last year. Thinking that Crocs is still a vendor this year, we went to the Off-Price Show.

But before that.

Forme dress, department store belt, Gibi shoes, Coach bag

So fat. Boo.

I like visiting malls at this time of the year because they're already so Christmas-y! After joining my family hear the mass at SM Lanang, we enjoyed looking at their decorations and Lego's Christmas village(s).

After the photo ops, we finally went to SMX for the Off-Price Show.

My "Forced" Holiday in Photos

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. However, I don't really view Christmas day as a non-working holiday because, well, since last year, I find myself working on holidays. That's the way of a work-at-home mom slash freelancer! While we have flexible schedules, the downside is that the system goes like this: no work, no pay. But I'm not complaining at all!

This year, though, I took a "forced" holiday on December 25. Yuri's yaya, Honey, and I already came up with the decision to work that day since she already went home to her province for her birthday last December 9. However, that morning, she had a bad headache and needed to rest. So she rested, while I took up nanny duties - and did a lot of stuff!

Good morning!

There is such a thing as post- Christmas eve shopping. Ang daming tao!

I brought home three big shopping bags - parang hindi nanggaling sa Noche Buena!

My new discovery - Dolcetto Wafers. These are not all ours; we already have enough sweets in the house. But these are delicious!

Yuri's yayu also had a pahabol gift because toys were on sale in Gaisano Mall #bakitngayonlang?!

Snapshots of my Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas! How did your celebrations go? Mine was pretty tiring, as most moms would understand. But fulfilling nonetheless! This Christmas was especially more fun because Yuri is now almost 2 years old and have a better grasp of excitement and enjoyment. To parents of infants who have to sleep through the entire celebration, have hope! Haha!

We didn't actually have a bonggang Noche Buena because we wanted a simple celebration. However, the celebration was still fun and meaningful. Here are some snapshots of how our Christmas went:

Christmas glasses

This is what happens to delicate macarons when there's a toddler in the house.

Ang pinaghirapan kong mango float teehee

Puto...

...and, you guessed it, dinuguan! My favorite, which I can only eat once a year. Boohoo.

Massive mound of raw embutido dough - another of my mother's specialty

Spaghetti, given by our American neighbor

Fruits from the palengke

Leftover goody from my mother's S&R stash

And this, too. 

We have 3 canisters of chocolate. First canister...

Cuzo before Christmas!

Yesterday afternoon, when I was cuddling with Yuri (there are almost no essay to review this week - everyone has gone vacation mode already!), our yaya announced that the "delivery boy" was there. Surprise, surprise - it was from Cuzo! I was surprised because I wasn't expecting anything to arrive this week, and there are three reasons why.

Actually, I ordered stuff from Cuzo last Friday and paid on Saturday. I have been planning to buy a bag and my Christmas gift to my mom for weeks now, but I was being too fickle (I blogged about my choices here). It wasn't until Friday when I finally decided what to buy.

Another thing that delayed me was the lack of BPI deposit in the payment options. I sent Cuzo a message on their Facebook page but did not really expect a concrete solution (that happens in most customer service experience I've had). Imagine my surprise when they replied and told me to go ahead and order and they'll just give me BPI details I can send payment to! Yay!

The final reason why I wasn't expecting the order to arrive so soon was that I ordered a couple of bespoke items. These are leather goods that are personalized. I ordered them as gifts to my mom, and in fact, I told my mom that my Christmas gift to her will be delayed. My mom will surely be surprised!

Anyway, enough of the talking. Here are some photos I took of the order:

Rumpled packages are not unusual for me - after all, I live in Mindanao.

Leather, nylon, and brass

Sturdy nylon, great leather, thick hardware

The Weekend Before Christmas in Photos

Good morning! Two days nalang, Christmas na! Have you completed your Christmas shopping already? Me, I'm almost done. Just one more gift, but that would be given after Christmas so no pressure here. Meanwhile, it's already 1pm but the weather is still so cool. I love it! On the other hand, my body is so sore. Overexhausted! Fatigued! But it's okay. I love the Christmas season!

To be honest, I'm too tired to spew out words for a proper blog, so I'll just let the photos do the talking.

Days before Christmas, Mama still keeps on adding Santa Clauses and snowmen to her growing collection. :-)

I love this little house and the little Santas! (There are six of them.)

I have also finished wrapping all my gifts. Achievement unlocked! Yay!

Our little Christmas tree - now with presents (although none of them is mine!)

This year was the first time Yuri has ever gone out carolling. You see, my Mama is one of the subdivision's officers, and one of the projects every Christmas is the carolling to raise funds for the partey. :D

(Sorry for the dark photo; my sister didn't want to tinker with the camera's settings because we were already left behind. Meanwhile, if you look closely, you will see Yuri smiling hehe.)

We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!

An Italian neighbor of ours got out her laptop so that her sister (I assume),

who was on Skype (I assume), could see and hear us sing Christmas songs. :D

I love walking in the evening.

I "crush" this house!