Two is More FUN

Theme: TOY/S WITH LETTERS

Mia's Laptops

The blue one is from Lola Weng and Dora's one of her birthday gifts from us this November.

Even if they are both laptops, the games and things they do are very different from each other. I expecially like that the letters on the blue pads are in upper case and Dora's got lower case. Plus the music they play are very engaging. The dancer in my daughter comes alive whenever these are used.

To see more toys with letters, check them here.

Happy weekend! I'm having a real grand time hope you are too. :D

Through The Years

BONDING TIME

Mary Twinkie and Mia Betina's Bonding Time

This video says it all. Thanks again Jd and Ate Twinkle for lending me your Animoto account. Nawili na ko. Haha!

Come and join us here. :)

Best Mom

Thank you oh so very much to my fellow Mommy Moments blogger friends, Chris and Gin for giving me this award.

Rules:

1. Show the award logo in your post.

2. Pick a picture you have with your kiddo/s.

We Love Reading Time

3. Post should include your best experience as a Mom.

The bext experience I must say is to see my daughter yearn for more attention from me. (That includes her favoring me over her Daddy. Hehehe!) She would cling to me when she'll eat, play, take a bath, nap, wake up, dance, sing, recite a poem, draw, write, paint, pray, read and sleep. The feeling that someone needs you so much and that someone trusts you with everything is something that only mothers could understand. And I am very grateful for it.

4. Nominate other blogger moms out there that you consider the best mom, like yourself.

So, I think almost every blogger I know are mothers and probably this award has been received by each one of them already. But if there are two blogger Moms that influences me the most, it would be Ate Pinky and Ate Weng. I am a stalker of their blogs. I know almost every post that they made and I try to work on the things that they shared. I comment like they are (only) talking to me and a lot of times, I would feel that we connect in so many ways. Yeah, that's only me I guess. :D

Some proofs would be these:

My take on Ate Pinky's Sipo of The Kingdom Kitchen Tales...

...and Ate Weng's Skinless Longganisa of Cafe Munchkin

The only thing that I changed with the Sipo is adding chicken and with the Skinless Longganisa, I added more garlic. They were sure hits in our home and their recipes are very reliable and so delicioso. (Nag-angat na rin ako ng bangko nun diba?). :D

Then this:

Plastic Grocery Bag Origami

This afternoon, our living room was covered with plastic grocery bags, but after I finished putting all the items away, I found solace in folding. This brilliant shared idea, again is from Munchkin Mommy, Ate Weng.

Why use the deep word solace? Because before folding, I was so stressed in making this:

My first ever Leche Flan

Apparently, Mia tried to help me carry the delivered goods but she dropped the whole crate of eggs; all 15 were smashed. In an instant, I remembered Ate Pinky's post about her Leche Flan; a recipe which only uses egg yolks. I called Jose right away to ask the ingredients but he was too busy to give me the details for procedure. I had to rely on common sense... Voila! I did it! It wasn't as creamy and soft as Jose's, and it wasn't as beautiful to look at as Jose's but I did it! And I will never do this again. Ano ka Jose? Sinuswerte? :D

*Sky, ikaw ang aking biktima. Bukas, tikim na! :)

Mad About Lots, Books and Dogs

Oh yes I am nothing but mad about the current rants in our lives. But as always, we choose to pick up right away because that’s just how it is. You win some, you lose some.

When I’ve seen Mia’s face as she saw the new Disneyland advertisement with the whole Mickey Mouse Clubhouse gang inviting kids under seven to stay and play free paired with 40% off for hotel bookings made before April 3rd, I thought I’d cry. I chose to pose a brave face and just check at how she’ll take it... It’s bad! Before, she would scream and chant, “We’re going there in April, we’re going there in April!” but now, she was about to scream but paused and took a seat smiling shyly. (Mia? Shy?) I don’t know if I would hug her to take pity on her or I should hug her because she was that mature of a three year old to know where she actually stands. She chose to be quiet maybe just so not to hurt my feelings? I’d get it and really understand if she decided to speak up. I am sad and quite mad that we really can’t afford to go now...

Of course, we dream to give you everything...

We had a fight when I brought her to school today. I got so embarrassed because she would not let go of the bus ticket which the bus driver must see. The very late and rude driver got annoyed (the nerve!) and told me that I should have never given my child the ticket in the first place. Well, he’s got a point but what does he want me to do? Rip the piece of paper in half as I do tug of war with my child or maybe just declare war all the same? So when we got off, I talked to Mia in a corner with the most fired up eyes I could give and told her, “You don’t listen to me anymore. I am so fed up trying to be a kind mother. Maybe I should bring you back in the Philippines because I guess I am not doing a good job as a mom to you...” And (the bubbly) Mia went inside the preschool not looking at anyone even when the whole group greeted her as if they’ve thrown her a surprise birthday party... I wanted to kick myself for losing patience! All the parents brought their kids inside the room but I stayed outside. Then when I was about to leave, Mia called me and asked if I could kiss her. I kissed her then I left undecided if I’ll take the bus or just walk. I walked and called Jose about the incident. I was so mad... at myself. It’s Pancake Day and all I gave her was a pan. When I fetched her, she begged not to ride the bus.

How's that for maldita?

___________

Mad about dogs... that’s what we were when we celebrated Valentine’s Day. Jose’s date plan (for the two of us) was a no-go because our relatives had work that day. Our family pleasured in a day of food, movies about dogs and more food. We watched Bolt and Hotel for Dogs and these made Jose realize that maybe, we should get Mia her own Bolt or Friday. (But with all the insurances again... teka muna.) For dinner, we went to Giraffe - it’s the perfect place for a family like ours. We had nachos for starters (nabitin pa kami from the cinema) and Mia had pea soup. For mains, Jose had rib eye steak, I had pizza tostada and Mia had udon. Yup, it’s labo-labo. American, Italian, Indonesian, Mexican... Our beers were Tiger and Corona. Then our fruit shakes were orange, mango and banana. In short, Giraffe is the place for fickle minded families just like the very us when it comes to eating! Honestly, our date was in no way romantic. Our desserts were battered Ben & Jerry’s inside the cinema for goodness sakes! But if Mia enjoys, we enjoy.

Ready for Bolt!

Valentine's Day '09 - Giraffe Reading

Showing our Giraffes and Shef (From Mia's Happy Meal for Lunch)

Eating a Giraffe's food - leaves and more leaves! Hehe!

The bottom line is, we’re together and we had tanks of gas to fill Jose’s apartment after. Hoho! On the brighter side, really, a whole week with him was a huge blessing in itself na. Sometime in between, we had a very fun evening of sharing these treats. For the Lindt truffles, we ate them by biting a little piece of each so the three of us could taste every chocolate. (Go figure.) Now, that’s mad and sweet! Isn't it?

Mi Ultimo Paboritos

Mia's "CHOCOPOP"

When we came home from our little Valentine holiday, these welcomed us:

February Books: Angelina Ballerina Collection in Hardback,

Usborne Phonics Readers - All 12 Titles and Mr. Men and Little Miss Books with Added Sparkle in Hardback.

They look nice together with Mia’s books that she got from Ninong Biboy last Christmas. I am definitely mad about collecting children multi-title sets now. (It’s maddening to budget too).

Dr. Seuss in Hardback - 20 Most Famous Titles

Peppa Pig Collection - Mia's Flavor of the Season

Books are occasional treats for Mia ever since. Even if the libraries here are very generous in lending (number and time wise), it is still different when a good read can be reached easily, whenever. I decided that her nappy budget could now be her book budget. (Okay lang ba Daddy? Magdagdag lang tayo ng kaunti...) It’s like food for her. Imagine, I read an average of eight books a day! That’s books not stories. My throat sometimes complain... Now, am I mad or what?! :D

Cash-ching!

Theme: TOY/S WITH NUMBERS

ELC Cash Register

Mia got this cash register as a Christmas gift. I thought it's about time she learns the concept of shopping so I can let her do the groceries as early as now... Kidding! :D

Numbers on the Pads

The numbers can obviously be seen at the working keypad and chip and pin. It came complete with a barcode scanner, microphone, play money, pretend credit card, some mock M&S cans, boxes and veggies. We are big fans of ELC because they really make great toys that are very sturdy and have clean edges. Plus, they have a big birthday club thing. Since Mia's birthday is a month before December, I have enough vouchers to use 'til Christmas. That's 20% off on all toys! Although, should I've known that they will release a pink version, I could have waited and chose a different gift. Anyway, blue is my favorite color and red is Jose's. So there you go.

Mia's Suki

Jose and Mia plays shopping pretend like crazy. Well, more on Jose I would say. And I am a bore with it because they have a particular way of doing the drama. :D

Bring on the numbers by clicking here. Happy weekend!

Hungry Girls

FEEDING TIME

What can I say? Feeding time is my favorite activity with Mia not until she hit her 30th month. She became quite picky with her food thus the weight loss. Oh I miss her pink chubby cheeks!

When she was a baby, I breastfed her only for a month because of ABO incompatibility. She's not very keen on baby food. I remember bringing 50 boxes of Cerelac with us when we moved here but we shipped 30 boxes back because she would not it 'em anymore. I must say that her all time favorite, like her Daddy, is Sinigang. Whatever kind of Sinigang, even without meat, she'll eat it. I am just happy that she is slowly picking up on the appetite again.

I'd like to thank the Bernardos for letting me use their Animoto All-Access Pass account. Without it, I do not know how to show all these eating pictures in Blogger. So, just in case you're interested with Animoto, let me know so they could refer you. They have this reward system for both the account holder and new member. Just pm me anytime ok?

Chris, ang lakas mo sa akin, pinaghirapan ko 'to! Hope you'll like it. :D

AVP through JDTWINKS' Animoto

Ayos ba?

For more cutie (eating) babies check them out here.

Golosinos in UK # 4

HomeCare 400 is the name of our insurance for central heating, plumbing, drains and electrics.

Jose thought having it is a waste of money because as he said, we could just pay off the charge/s in one go if anything happens which would probably cost a quarter of what we are now paying... But really, can you put a price for peace of mind? It’s not like in the Philippines that if an AC is busted, you could wait for a week to have it fixed. Here, dead central heating in winter for a week means possible fatality? We were forced to buy a portable heater because the engineer was scheduled to come two days after our call-out. This schedule we are talking about is for the premium package holders, how much longer for the standard? Thus, we decided that keeping the portable heater handy on top of whatever insurance we have is wise. (Thank heavens John Lewis has next day delivery!) Another point, Jose is not with us 24/7 and even if he would be, the last time I checked, he is an IT Consultant not a central heating, plumbing, etc. Consultant. And lastly, we didn’t really buy a brand new house you know! It may be made of bricks but old age IS old age no matter how well-kept it is. Therefore, HomeCare 400 stays whether he likes it or not.

My 8:00 am Wake-up Call

We had the upgrade from HomeCare 200 (central heating only) to 400, December 2008. And the year 2009 has started with a lot of irks in the house. We made a couple of call-outs and the engineers came for advice even if the problem is not their concern at all. Nothing is free in this world that whatever “unpaid” professional advice we get is a big deal. The whole package dents us £324 annually or £27 monthly. The cost of the recent repair, parts replaced and labor is around £150 as computed by the very courteous engineer over coffee. Ladies and gentlemen, this is just one of the insurances that we chose have to pay. We don’t have a car yet and we are planning to have a dog. I love my very hardworking husband so much...

No Charges! Oh yeah!

This episode kept me mum these past few days, my head’s gonna blow anytime but that’s overacting. I am just relieved this got sorted now because next week, our first ever guest in MK is coming! We are definitely looking forward to it.

Meanwhile, here’s to a warm home! Cheers!

Share Bear

Theme: TOY/S WITH HEART/S OR THE WORD "LOVE"

Share Bear has hearts in Lollies (Chest), hearts on its paws and a heart for its nose.

Share Bear was given by Lolo Ben and Lola Weng for Mia's 3rd birthday. A Goldilocks and the Three Bears book and chip is included in every set. The Jack and the Beanstalk spare was given by Tita Belle. I searched online for the other books (Three Little Pigs, Pea and the Princess, and Cinderella) but they sell at eBay four times of what one pack actually costs. That's worth another Share Bear! And the batteries... oooh! You don't want to know... Anyway, I can always read other (non-Care Bear) titles for Mia as many times as she wants and I'd go on and on even with priceless batteries - my will and throat. :)

Please don't get me wrong, Share Bear is a really cool and fabulous gift. I'm just hurt that I can't push myself in buying the entire share-a-story collection. Hehe!

To see what this Care Bear can do (fighting for its dear life with batteries close to draining), watch this:

Mia's Share Bear

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

For more lovingly yours toys, click this.

L-O-V-E

LOVE LETTER

The kind of "love letter" that Mommy Moments need this week, I presume, is that coming from your child. But Mia, unfortunately has not given me one yet.

I, on the other hand have a shoebox full of love letters and notes dating from some eleven years ago but obviously, not from Mia. Ate Twinkle sent me a shot of 'em all the way from Malabon. Look! (Thank you Ate!).

Young Love Sweet Love of Jose to Twinkie :)

So, I'm stuck here.

I thought maybe I should pass this week's theme until I remembered this:

Love in Letters

He liked it!

A definite Mommy moment - Mia and I worked on Valentine cupcakes, cake and yes, a love letter for Jose last year. The love letter was made from an A4 colored paper cut into the shape of a big heart. And since we are away from our home right now, I can't take a picture of it. But promise I will, as soon as we get back on Monday. It may not be a love letter (cupcakes and cake) for me but I guess this one did it all:

February 14, 2008 - Richard Dodd Place, Slough

Jose went to Windsor all the way from Farnborough (2 hours by commute) just to get me flowers on a very busy and cold work day. He could easily buy online or through the local M&S but he still went out of his way for this lovely bouquet... Oh! I could not forget how he looked like when he handed it to me... And yes, we are the Valentine's Day kinda sucker (excuse the word) type of couple. :D So, shall I wear red or pink tomorrow? Haha!

Please be back for that heart shaped love letter ok? Meanwhile, for heartwarming love letters, click here.

Have a lovely day!

Giving and Receiving Some Love

Our Valentine week starts this evening every 6:00 pm onwards...

Hihi! Nandito kami sa work apartment ni Jose. Naisip niya na isama kami for the week para sa Valentine's Day ay maiwan namin si Mia sa mga kamag-anak namin sa Slough na medyo malapit sa Newbury. Ang pinakamaganda pa nito, nakakuha si Jose ng train tickets na ka-presyo lang ng usual na presyo ng ticket niya. In short, libre ang ticket namin ni Mia papunta rito. Pag patak ng ala-sais ng gabi magkakasama na kaming tatlo.

Oo sobrang big deal sa amin nito dahil sa mga projects ni Jose lately ay lagi kami naiiwan ni Mia sa bahay ng apat na araw sa isang linggo. Para sa amin masaya na kami na magkasama ng weekdays kahit ngayong linggo lang...

Sadyang napakarami talagang na-isasakripisyo sa ganitong klaseng pamumuhay... lahat ng maliliit na bagay ay talagang itinuturing naming malaking biyaya.

Tulad na lamang ng pagsasakripisyo na hindi makasama ang aming mga mahal sa buhay sa mga okasyon ngayong Pebrero tulad ng...

Birthdays ng mga makukulit kong pinsan...

Feb 10 - 2nd Lieutenant Nikki Ann Ignacio who works as a Registered Nurse in PH's Marines (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!)

Feb 4 and Feb 24 - Jamie (White Shirt) and Shelby (Black shirt) Ignacio based at Sacramento CA / Feb 5 - Martin Ignacio based at San Ramon CA - Kailan kaya namin sila mabisita?

Kapatid...

Feb 26 - Mi paboritong Patrick Golosino

Nakakatuwang patimpalak...

Sean Glenn Ignacio (Right) - UST's Mr. CFAD '09 (No one in our family knew he joined until he went home and announced that he made it. Take note, he's still a freshman).

At siyempre ang reunion...

Our Mama's HS Reunion: College of the Holy Spirit Manila - This celebration is done every five years.

Pasalamat na lamang kami at kahit malayo sa isa't-isa ay wala namang nagkakasakit at kahit paano ay nagkakakita-kita ang lahat sa pamamagitan ng internet. Malaking biyaya na ang lahat kami ay may ganito.

At nang dahil din sa internet, nakakakilala ako ng mga kaibigan na tunay namang nakakatuwa at marami rin akong natututunan. Gaya na lamang ni Chris, na sadyang ikinatutuwa kong makilala through Mommy Moments. At pinamahagian niya ako ng cute na cute na award na ito:

These kind bloggers aim to find one another and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of this award are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who can choose eight more and include this text into the body of their award.

Now, I am sending some love to Cee, Gin, Kikamz, Jona, OMM, Shebadoo, Buge and Mary Ann.