New Shopping Finds, Birthday Parties, and Other Stories

Yesterday was a hectic but fun Sunday! And though I didn't even expect it to be, it was a welcome change in the monotony of a WAHM's life hehe. Anyway, let's begin with the story-telling, shall we?

1. Organic Finds at Got Heart Community Shop

I barely venture out to the central part of the city now (I'm always in my comfort zone: the north), but yesterday, I really needed to go to Gaisano Mall for banking and buying stuff. I also made it a point to go inside Got Heart Community Shop.I'm going to dedicate an entire blog post for the shop, but here's a photo of my finds:

Yes, I'm going to take a better photo using an actual camera; nagmamadali lang hehe.

Anyway, I've always been curious about this shop not only because I'm friends with the lovely manager (hihi) but also because it stands for many things I believe in: natural materials, health, art (real art), and local resources. If you noticed, I often feature some local finds like Kablon Farms jam,  Cacao de Davao, and Real Laundry Detergent. So imagine my delight to see these brands - and more - in the shop!

Photo: http://www.gotheartfoundation.org/

2. Dencio's Kamayan

Another reason why I wanted to go to Gaisano Mall that Sunday was because my dad and I wanted to eat at the newly opened Dencio's Kamayan (right beside Manang's Chicken). Filipino food is always our go-too comfort food, and it doesn't get any better than inihaw and barbecue (at least for us hehe). We got a "mini boodle fight," my own term because I forgot the name haha, which had grilled pork, chicken, chicken liver, baked mussels, and crunchy kangkong. It costs around 780 yata without rice and drinks. Sulit because there's so many food!

Sorry, I only had my phone with me, and I couldn't take a decent photo because Yuri was being malikot.

As for me, I ate a lot even if I was supposed to be on a diet because I haven't eaten pork for so long! Yuri also ate a lot! The best part here is the service: everyone in the staff is warm and bibo and courteous, and they almost always ask us if we need something even before we call them. Kudos to whoever trained the team!

3. I want to do the whole OOTD thing again.

But I'm fat and have no new clothes!

Meetup with Friends + Abreeza Organic Fair

Hi, it's throwback Thursday!

Hehe actually that's just my excuse for writing a post that should have been written, like, 2 weeks ago. Oh well what's new?

So a couple of weeks ago, my long-distance best friend, Teena, came home from Manila. The funny part was that she only spent hours here in Davao City. She arrived early in the morning and she had to leave by afternoon. Nakakaloka!

George and I, of course, tried to fit ourselves into her packed schedule. But since George has work (and I do not? I have work, too! Hehe), what happened is that George and I (and Yuri and my sister) had lunch first and Teena and I met later after George had gone back to her office.

When Teena finally arrived, I just finished off my lunch - and okay my sister's lunch, too - and we tried to explore the Organic Fair happening in Abreeza that day.

You might probably remember how I had tried to score locally made chocolates weeks prior but failed.

Fortunately, they were in Abreeza that day. Yay!

Here are some photos Teena took that day:

Yuri, me, and "Ninan Tina"

Fun and Frugal Finds for March

How did it get to be April already?

Ang bilis ng panahon. It seems like it was just yesterday when I was shopping for Christmas gifts; now, I'm shopping for Yuri's summer gear!

Uh-oh, I should be saving money pala. There are so much I need to buy - a new laptop battery, things for the new house - that some stuff I really want to buy for Yuri would have to take the backburner. It's a good thing, though, that I get my shopping fix from good ole' grocery shopping. Here are my finds for the month of March:

1. Bob's Red Mill 5-Grain Hot Cereal

Ever since I found out that instant oats are virtually junk food din pala - well, not really, but they're processed - I've been on the lookout for rolled oats of good quality. I picked this up at Gaisano Mall because I'm familiar with the brand; I see it at health stores.

The grains are really whole and unprocessed, plus what I like about it is that aside from oats, it contains 4 more grains like flax seed.

Price: P125

2. Dane's Peanut Butter

Any momma who doesn't know how to properly bake but wants to whip up snacks and desserts needs three things in her pantry: oats, bananas, and peanut butter. I honestly always have these stuff. I don't buy imported peanut butter though. I like local ones better because I like their taste better (I prefer oily peanut butter hehe), they're usually cheaper, and they usually have no added chemicals and preservatives.

I usually just buy peanut butter from bakeries, but it's more convenient to buy them at the grocery. Enter Dane's Peanut Butter which is made in Davao City and only has three ingredients: peanuts, sugar, and butter!

Price: Around P65

3. MagicTime Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm here talking about buying stuff with no preservatives and added sugar when I suddenly include cookies. Well, in my defense, they were supposed to be my potty-training bribes for Yuri (which didn't work). They're also buy 1-take 1 (again haha!), and they're reaaally yummy.

Price: P115

4. Heaven Diapers

Yuri only wears diapers at night now, but it's still essential to use ones that are of high-quality but affordable. I've read about Heaven Diapers in different blogs recently so I was curious to give it a try.

Well, it's a great thing that I did because aside from being affordable, it's also very soft, absorbent, and non-leaky. I also like that it's thin and not bulging on Yuri's slim build!

Price: Around P190

5. Real Laundry Detergent

I already ran out of my HHN Tough Love laundry detergent and, save for a sample they gave me last week, I have no natural detergent yet. It's a good thing that I visited Abreeza's Organic Fair (must make a post soon!) and saw this product in one of the stalls.

If you noticed, I really like buying locally-made products or products that are made in Davao or in Mindanao. This detergent is made in Pantukan, Compostela Valley, and the great thing about it is that it only has three ingredients: coconut oil, alkali solution, and herbal essence.

Price: Only P100! I should have bought more huhu

6. Citronella Spray