An Ikea Wishlist

I know many of you would probably agree with me: there should be an IKEA store in the Philippines!

I drool over many of the furniture pieces from IKEA, and I imagine that our house, when it finally gets built, would be fully decked out from top to bottom with IKEA pieces. You see, they are not only pretty but also space-efficient. And based on the US website, they are pretty affordable!

Image: http://www.ikea.com

That's why I was ecstatic when I found out that there was an IKEA reseller in Davao city with a pwesto just at Abreeza Mall. I checked their Facebook page beforehand and am happy to report that they carry almost everything I like. So last Sunday, I finally visited them to see the items in person.

Unfortunately, I saw that the items were overpriced. For example, the Mala Easel, which was really what I was planning to buy only costs around $15 in the website. That's just around P645. But in the store, it costs P3,500. Partida sale price pa yan. Original price is P4,100. I know they're adding the shipping costs and rental fees to the prices of the products, so it's understandable, but that doesn't mean I have no choice but to patronize them, right? I need to make the most out of my money!

When I got home, I computed how much it would cost if I order the easel directly from the website. Again, it's $15 or P645, right? I might have it shipped through, for example, My Shopping Box, which charge $2.99 per pound for sea freight. Since the easel weighs 14 pounds, I would have to pay $41.86 or roughly P1,800. In total, I would only have to pay P2445, and I don't have to get out of the house.

If no one talks me out of it, I might just do that! 

(There's one more big IKEA reseller in Davao City, and they have a real shop which is even nearer my home. I just sent them an inquiry, but they don't carry the Mala Easel huhu.)

Aside from the Mala Easel, I also drool over many other items from IKEA. Here's an early Christmas wishlist hahaha:

Things I Want to Buy for Yuri But Can't (Yet)

There are things we can afford and then there are things we can buy if we wanted to but choose not to (yet) because it's not a top priority.

I seriously hope I'm not the one who thinks like that. Otherwise, it would just confirm my suspicion that I'm inherently kuripot. Hahaha. Well, my mom's an ultimate kuripot, so I shouldn't wonder!

Now I really don't have any problems about buying anything for myself. I'm well-trained at delayed gratification. For example, mason jars are really cheap and I first got fascinated by them May of last year but actually bought them last April. What a long wait!

But for "Yuri Stuff" or things that Yuri doesn't really need but mama wants, I can't wait for too long. I hesitate to shop for my own clothes but would buy Yuri ones even if he doesn't need them just as long as it fits the budget!

Now I'm hoping that you're secretly agreeing with me all along. Most moms siguro do, right? If you don't have a secret no-occasion list for your kid, I'm pretty sure you'll get some ideas from mine below. I apologize in advance! Hee hee!

1. Stainless Steel Cup

This is more of a need than a want because Yuri's cups need to retire. However, I can't buy one yet because, frankly, they are not exactly cheap and I want to choose the best one.

His straw cup is icky (ew, that's what you get from buying cheap), while his 1 1/2 year old Avent is starting to leak. Also, I just found out that even BPA-free plastics are still dangerous. I will save the details for another post.

Image: http://www.zebebe.com

My options are CamelBak Stainless Steel (pictured), KidBasix Sporter Cup, and Thermos Foogo.

2. Milk jars

I'm not veering away from the drinnking cup topic just yet. The one above should address his on-the-go drinking needs but I also need a new non-plastic cup to use at home.

Image from Instagram account, kitchencountermnl

My first option was a Tramontina stainless steel cup - but it's too pricey! 600 for a small cup! No way, Jose. So maybe I'll buy small milk bottles and try to look for covers. I'll hope for the best.

EDIT: Just ordered a set of the milk bottles. Sorry.

What I Want for my Birthday

I'm an old soul.

This Saturday, I'll be 24, but to tell you the truth, I feel much much older. Not physically (thank God!) but emotionally and mentally and, maybe, spiritually, too. And I attribute this not to motherhood.

My 2-year old made this "cake" for me. It was modeled after his own car-themed birthday cake. He said "Pi burtday to you!"

Let me tell you a secret: 

Ever since I started school, when I was around 5 or 6 years old, I already felt much older than my classmates. Ironically, I was always one year younger than all of my classmates all throughout my academic "career," but it didn't feel that way. Somehow, I just felt more mature than they were. And many can attest to that. In fact, when I was in first grade, I felt happier to be around with my friends' moms than with them.

I have the feeling that being an old soul was one of the things that helped me cope with motherhood so easily!

I am thankful, though, that to strike the balance, I also have a young heart. Win-win, right?

So this year, I'm turning 24. Still very young, but I love to think I am more mature than the rest of my peers. After all, I'm mothering a 2-year old! I guess this old soul of mine has also affected the things that I want to attain in my life.

I think I got into the phase of being materialistic for only a short while in my life - that was when I started being a working student back in college. Today, while material things give me temporary joy, I aim to have "higher" standards of happiness. For my 24th year, these are some of what I hope to achieve with God's grace and in his divine timing:

The Battle of the Bags

So Job and I aren't officially "together" now (Woah! Shocking, right? I will write about this in a future post). However, he insisted that I still get a bag for myself. Months back, he asked me what I would like for Christmas. He knows that I'm not very fond of surprises when it comes to material things - I'm very fickle-minded and OC; I even weigh the pros and cons of every planner out there before I finally decide on one!

Anyway, I digress. So he asked me what I would like for Christmas. The first thing I said was "a blender" because my blender broke down a few weeks ago. However, he did not like the idea of giving me a blender!  So un-romantic! Haha! He told me I should buy a bag because, well, I have been bugging about my lack of bags since forever. He knows that I have a number of bags, but I want a new bag that fits my current lifestyle! *sniff*

Since he knows I like to choose what to buy and weigh the pros and cons, he gave me the go-signal to choose my bag. Here are my requirements (yes, requirements talaga!):

1. It should be nylon. Nylon is a good material for a bag because first, it is waterproof, and second, I need a light bag. Yuri might be light for his age, but it certainly doesn't feel like it!
2. It should have genuine leather trims. I don't want synthetic leather because I want a bag that would last for years, not months.
3. It should be roomy. Do I really need to explain this? :-)
4. It should have a sling. I'm a sling person; I was never a shoulder bag person. Of course, my bag should be versatile. If I feel like using it as a hand bag, I should be able to! But on regular days when I'm chasing Yuri around, I should be able to wear it in a sling and not have to worry about it.
5. It should be affordable. Job didn't specify a price, but I know he'll appreciate if I don't buy a bag that is too expensive because we need to be frugal. Remember: live within your means!

I have already found very ideal bags at Cuzo. Here are the top three contenders (all photos are from the Cuzo website):

Miranda (Black and Blue) - P1,995

Miranda (Blue) - P1,500

Carla (Blue-Brass) - on sale at P1,000

Aren't they all pretty? Nylon, check! Genuine leather, check! Roomy, check! Sling, check! Affordable, check! Check, check, check!

I have finally decided which to buy yesterday and, along with a gift to my mom, I already wanted to check it out. Alas! Walang BPI sa mode of payment! OMG! I don't have a BDO account, and I'm not planning on going outside the house to deposit over the counter. I also don't want to risk using my Paypal account because we have been hacked (actually, I should write about that!).

So now I'm back to square 1. I'm at a total loss. I tried looking for other bags in other shopping websites, but I can't seem to find any pretty bags with lightweight but high-quality materials like the Cuzo bags. Where should I buy a bag? I'm stressing over it, and for crying out loud, it's just a bag!

PS: I really like Longchamp Lepliages, but they're too expensive for a nylon bag - at least in my opinion. There are also some sellers over Instagram who sell them for cheap and claim they are authentic, but for 2,500 a bag, you've got to be kidding me! People, real Longchamps cost 7k pataas. I would rather spend my P2,500 on a locally-made leather bag than on a designer knock-off!

_________________________________________________________________

Do you like this post? Never miss out again when you click on the cute bunny below:

Or by entering your email here:

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

You can also follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest for daily updates on my mundane musings.

Top 5 Christmas Gifts for Toddlers (At Least For Me!)

I have written a new list of gift ideas for the older toddler/young preschooler in mind. Here's a list of top gifts for older toddlers!

My golly banana! There are only 2 weeks remaining before Christmas! Have you done your Christmas shopping already? I should have begun my shopping months back, but I've always delayed it, thinking I'll see better deals come December. Now, I still have to buy a lot of gifts!

Of course, my toddler is number 1 on my list, so I breathed a sigh of relief when I had finished ordering stuff for him last week. Ssshhh, don't tell anybody, but he's going to have full bookshelves after Christmas. I still have to wrap his gifts, which led me to think, what could other parents be giving their toddlers this year?

This, in turn, led me to create a list of the best gifts to give for toddlers. Thus, if you have a toddler child or a toddler niece or nephew or a toddler inaanak, this list is for you!

5. Clothes and/or Shoes
Clothes and shoes are always fun to buy (at least for me!), the fun multiplies by 10 when you're shopping for little ladies and gentlemen. Any parent would welcome an additional outfit to her child's closet! Also, a toddler's foot size grows so fast (I should know) that new shoes are always a necessity. Make sure that you know the child's size, though! To be safe, go for the bigger size.

Photo: http://everydaylife.globalpost.com

Bonus tip: Ask the toddler's parents if they're going somewhere for the summer vacation. You might want to give the child a rash guard if they're going to the beach or a cardigan if they're headed to Baguio!

4. Diapers
Some people may think of giving diapers as un-thoughtful or un-creative, but I beg to disagree. Puh-lease, I would welcome a free pack of diapers in my home any day! My toddler still uses 2-4 diapers per day, so that's still a pretty significant amount. In my opinion, no parent would refuse diapers!

Photo: http://www.keeperofthehome.org/

Bonus tip: Try giving the parents cloth diapers to save the environment. You get plus points by helping them save money, too!

3. Art Materials
Ah, the joy of a homeschooling mom. This sentiment also goes for future homeschooling moms, feeling homeschooling moms (like me), and even those who simply want their children to enjoy art at an early age. After all, who doesn't want to raise a future Picasso?

Photo: http://artfulparent.typepad.com

Bonus tip: You do need to look for toddler-specific and toxic-free art materials. Also, make sure they are easy to use. Great examples are jumbo crayons, non-toxic play-dough, and failproof Megasketcher!

2. Wooden Toys

Christmas Finance Friday: Know your Needs from Wants!

Okay, to be honest, this is a wishlist disguised as a Finance Friday post. How sneaky of me! But let's get real, shall we? It's Christmas! Christmas is the time for spending, and it's so hard to think of saving up in the most wonderful time of the year.

Disclaimer: Only think about spending if you're spending within your means and if you have some emergency fund stocked up. 

Anyway, since spending is inevitable every December (at least for me it is!), instead of talking about saving and investing, let's talk about spending wisely instead! For starters, if you're planning of coming up with a wishlist, you can divide it into categories. A great post I found was this, and so I shamelessly copied imitated created an inspired copy. Here it is:

Here's a "special wishlist" I created for, who else, Yuri. I know I wanted to buy a lot of things for Yuri, but being the careful spender that I am (I kid, I kid), I wanted to prioritize Yuri's needs rather than my wants for him. Do you see the difference?

For example, let's begin with the WANTS category above. I want to create a mini-library for Yuri, which entails buying a front-facing bookshelf and a cozy lounging/reading chair.

However, aside from the fact that they cost a lot, it's not practical to buy them now for two reasons. First, Yuri is still a very young toddler with a very short attention span, and second, they would take up too much space in my parents' house.

= In other words, they are nice to have, but we can live without them.

On the other hand, for the NEEDS, I listed big, waterproof bibs, a potty-chair, and a straw cup. I need to buy Yuri large and waterproof bibs because he loves to play with his drinking water. All the time. 

I also need to buy Yuri a potty-chair because for now, toilet seats are out of the question.

Finally, Yuri's sippy-cup at home is already nearing its natural death; a straw-cup would be best for his toddler needs. The simpler the better. 

= The bottomline is we need them very soon. 

As for the next two categories, in my opinion, WEAR is considered WANT because unless Yuri has absolutely nothing to wear already, every piece of apparel I buy is unnecessary (as Job never fails to point out).

Yuri's Fashionable Wishlist

Disclaimer: Actually, Yuri has nothing to do with this. It's all his momma's doing.

I've been itching to do a "makeover" on Yuri's "wardrobe." I haven't used his rompers anymore. They're reserved for home use - in other words, pambahay - but I only wear them on Yuri during cooler days. On sunny days, he wears the ever-reliable sando. On some days, he only wears a diaper.

But he cannot be in his birthday suit (plus diaper) when we go out. Malamig kaya, not to mention pagkakaguluhan sya ng mga tao. Charot! Anyway, I know Yuri would have preferred to be naked (haha), but since I'm the intrimiderang nanay, I want to make him - at least - fashionable (in my and tropical Philippines' standard), I want to upgrade naman his wardrobe.

I already started by buying him his first ever skinny jeans and a cute pair of suspenders. Para di masyadong magastos, I promised Job that I will be buying just one piece of apparel per month. Do you want to know what else I plan to buy? Here they are (thus the wishlist):

1. Chambray Shirt from Baby Gap

This is the trend now, and aside from just jumping into the bandwagon, I really think this trend is ageless. Also, I can only imagine how Yuri will look so pogi in chambray!

2. Tights from H&M

I like dressing Yuri in busha pants (see OOTDs here and here) because they're super comfortable, but the designs are limited. Also, I'm not a fan of cartoon characters. I'll probably buy tights in block colors and cute patterns.

3. Tiny Toms in Red (Sooo cute!)

Ugh! If only hindi sya mahal! You might find Toms affordable, pero ako hindi. I have a price limit, although I know I should really buy good-quality shoes for Yuri's developing toddler feet. Calling Job!

4. Colored Jeans in Green from Zara

I am totally in love with colored jeans now! Many say that boys are harder to dress because of the limited clothing styles, and I agree wholeheartedly. However, colored jeans are much cuter on boys than on girls (sorry I'm biased!), and I think these would be the key to creating better outfits. 

5. Plaid Double-weave Shirt from Baby Gap

I'm also planning to buy Yuri another plaid polo shirt for two reasons: first, they're timeless like chambray shirts and second, maliit na ang plaid polo ni Yuri.

6. Knitted Hat (aka Beanie) from Zara

I also like how Yuri looks like wearing headpieces. However, his only head-wear now is a baseball cap, which, admittedly, doesn't go with a preppy wardrobe. I think my best bet would be a beanie so that it would be cool-looking and Yuri's head will stay cool - literally.

7. Jeans with Suspenders from H&M (Ugh!)

I have an obsession with suspenders! I just bought one last Sunday, actually, and I want to buy more!!!

8. Appaman Glen Plaid Vest

When I read mom blogs from other countries on how they dress their sons up, I feel jealous because they get to wear cardigans, jackets, etc. I certainly cannot do that in humid Philippines! I think using a vest would be the closest thing I can get to layering.

9. Pull-on Jeans from H&M

Ah, pull-on jeans. I included this not because they are cute (although they are cute!) but because it would be necessary to wear pull-up jeans when we start potty-training, which is in the imminent future. Oh noes.

10. Corduroy Pants in Red from H&M

Another pair of colored jeans! In Christmas colors! I'm hoping I can buy Yuri red jeans before Christmas!

______________________________________

If you're wondering if I plan to really buy all the stuff I listed, well, the answer is a resounding no. First of all, walang Baby Gap, Zara Baby, and H&M sa aDavao City. Second, I like the clothes but I don't like the prices! Actually, the prices are reasonable when you're living in the US, but if you're in the Philippines and converted into pesos na, ayaw ko na haha!

Third, I see these clothes in the department store! Diba? Like the vest. I saw one last Sunday at SM, Crib Couture (I like this brand). And it's very cheap! (When I say cheap, trust me: it is cheap.) In other words, because kuripot ako at kailangang magtipid, I'll be on the lookout for cheaper alternatives to those cool clothes. Marami naman eh. But, hey, if you want to give Yuri a gift, you're welcome to do so! :-P

_________________________________________________________________

Do you like this post? Never miss out again when you click on the cute bunny below:

Or by entering your email here:

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

You can also follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest for daily updates on my mundane musings.