Family Weekend Kwento #10

Last weekend was a tiring one and that’s the reason I’m sick right now (cough and colds L).  Friday night, we got complimentary tickets for the Transport Show at SMX. 

The hubby was so happy while roaming around SMX.  Too many luxurious cars his eyes feasted upon.  But what got my interest was the remote control cars drifting in a corner.  I had Leo took a video of it so Neo will see – and the little boy was so happy J

Saturday morning was the time for our flu vaccine.  Flu vaccine should be administered yearly for better protection.  Better safe than sorry. 

Playing while waiting for his turn. 

We then went to Laguna and spend the whole Sunday at Sol Y Viento Resort to celebrate my cousin, John-john’s birthday.

He’s a certified bakasyonista.

We had a very tiring weekend but fun nonetheless J  How did you spent your weekend, guys?

Exploring Mind Museum

Last year, when I attended Blogapalooza, Mind Museum gave me 3 passes to explore the place.   Due to hectic holiday schedules, it was only last April that we were able to visit Mind Museum.

The Mind Museum is divided into 5 galleries.

The Atom Gallery (where they explain the strange world of the very small particles)

The Life Gallery (where they explain the exuberance of life) 

The Earth Gallery (where they explain the nature across the breadth of time)

The Universe Gallery (where they explain the vastness of the universe)

The Technology Gallery (where they explain all thing technology)

There are a lot of interactive activities you can try at The Mind Museum.  Neo even tried to answer a small quiz kiosk.

He answered it correctly! J (what a genius at guessing hahaha :D)

There is also Science in the Park, a small garden where you can play and learn.

The Mind Museum is open Operating Hours: Tuesday to Sunday (closed Mondays)

9am – 12nn | 12nn – 3pm | 3pm – 6pm | 6pm – 9pm (during Saturdays only)

Ticket Prices:

Adults – Php600

Children and students (up to college) – Php450

Public School students (up to collge) – Php150

Teachers – Php150

Toddler Milestone: Counting

Leo and my parenting mantra have always been “letting Neo learn at his own pace”.  No pressure involved.

Imagine our surprised at the age of two that Neo can count from 1 to 10.  Yes, he did learn his 1,2,3 before learning his A,B,C J  

This is my proud mama moment I'm sharing to you.

Watch him count.

A Quick Tagaytay Trip

Last weekend we decided to go to Tagaytay to meet Neo’s Lola Belle.  Lola Belle and her family lives in Cebu so the rare times she goes to Manila, we always make sure to meet her.

We were up so early.  Our first stop was Mahogany Market.  This is where you can try the best-tasting bulalo that Tagaytay has to offer.  We already had breakfast so we just ordered bulalo and 2 cups of rice (for Neo and tito GB). 

Kapeng Barako, pineapple and bananas are free.  We paid Php380 for all.

The market is a slaughter area for cows.  Beef are sold cheaper in here than anywhere in Cavite. 

There’s also a lot of fruit bearing plants being sold in front of the market.  The small calamansi plant has a lot of fruits already.  We have calamansi plants in our small garden (was planted more than a year ago but still don’t grow fruits).  I asked the vendor why, he told us that maybe we water it daily.  Calamansi plants should be watered thrice a week only.  Our calamansi plants are watered twice a day every day.  That’s the reason why.

Next stop Sky Ranch.  We didn't enter; we just parked outside because we thought this is where we will meet Lola Belle.  But we didn't catch her there so we just content ourselves with photo ops then off we went to Picnic Grove.

Entrance at Picnic Grove is at Php50 per pax and Php35 for parking.  We met Lola Belle in there and did a quick tour in the area.  We need to rush because we were trying to catch the 4pm service of our church (its Sunday kasi).

The view of Taal Volcano never fails to amaze me. 

If you’ll be going to Tagaytay because you’re thinking that the weather is better in there than in any other parts of the country, don’t waste your time.  Tagaytay is too hot nowadays.  Visit Tagaytay sometime in August to experience the cool weather that it’s famous for.

Family Weekend Kwento #9

Lately, Familia Nunag has been staying at home during weekends.  We try to rest as much as we can during weekends because the workweek is somewhat stressful.

And because of that, instead of scheduling expo visits last Saturday, I decided to just hop around last Friday.  I visited Expo Mom at Glorietta around lunch time.  After work, Leo and I went to the Food Expo at World Trade.  We went there 30mins before closing time so we were allowed to enter for free.  We just bought some food and went home.

What surprised me when I got home was the Nido Fortified #1 MOM shirt.  The shirt was too big for me (I miscalculated my size) but I will surely wear this pa din.

The little boy won’t let go of the Nido can.  He plays with it most of the time.

We then went to ran some errands by Saturday afternoon.

Then by Sunday, we went to Tagaytay to meet my mom’s sister, Tita Belle.  It was a quick trip that entitles a blog post for itself.

The funny part about this weekend was that, while doing our errands and visiting Tagaytay, we almost toured around the entire province of Cavite (less the coastal part).

How was your weekend?  Was it as nice as mine?

EXPO MOM 2014

About Expo Mom 2014

     Now on its seventh year, Expo Mom is the biggest event of its kind, gathering progressive, active moms in an environment that’s both recreational and educational. Showcasing beloved mommy brands alongside mom invented goodies, Expo Mom has become the catalyst for the mompreneur movement in Manila. It has also become a venue for like-minded moms to establish lasting connections, attracting over 60,000 mommy participants through the years. At Expo Mom 2014, more celebrations are afoot. With over 60 booths at the Palm Drive of Glorietta in Ayala Center, Expo Mom 2014 will feature all-day talks, demos, and raffle draws.

     This year’s theme, “You The Mom!” aims to affirm and appreciate all the awesome things that moms do every single day, whether they’re taking care of their babies at home, doing volunteer work for a cause they believe in, or helping out a friend in need. Mothers are the most complex of creatures; their powers in time management and multitasking alongside their ability to do anything and everything for their loved ones make them the most effective game changers of all! “You The Mom!” puts the spotlight on all the unbelievably good things that moms do every day with a string of exciting engagement activities.

     Expo Mom 2014 happens on May 16-18, Friday to Sunday, at the Glorietta 2 Activity Center, Ayala Center, Makati City.

I was so excited to attend Expo Mom.  I was there opening day.  It was one of the rare times I commute to Makati (thankfully I didn’t get lost). 

Registration Area

Entrance

Some of the exhibitors at Mom Expo

Here is the list of Presenters.

If you have time this weekend, visit Expo Mom at Glorietta Acitivity Center. 

Headache and Neo

They’re not a good combination.

You go home early because you’ve been experiencing headache for 2 days already and you wanted to rest.  When you got home, you lay down at the sofa bed while the toddler roamed around the living room.

The toddler decided to go near the electric fan and tried to pull out the cord from the electric plug.  You shout: NO NEO!

The toddler stopped.  The toddler then went to the electric fan itself, held out his fingers in a circling motion following the electric blades, just a centimeter away from the electric fan.  You shout: NO NEO!

The toddler stopped.  The toddler then went near the television and switches the channels and volume as fast as his little hands can do.  You shout: NO NEO!

The toddler stopped.  The toddler then went to the cupboards under the sink and starts opening and closing it with a bang.  You shout: NO NEO!

The toddler stopped.  The toddler then went near the stairs and tried going up.  You shout: NO NEO!

The toddler stopped.  The toddler then sat down near you.  Grabbed his slippers and started kissing them.  You shout: NO NEO!

You asked for help to bring the toddler inside his big crib.

The toddler cried as hard as he could while shouting: “WAWA NEO!”  Then he decided to stop crying and starts shouting: “DEDE NEO!” (milk, Neo) “TABBY NEO!” (play tablet Neo) “KANIN NEO!” (eat Neo) “BABA NEO!” (let Neo out of the crib).

You felt more pain in your head than before – but still, you went to the crib, hug and kiss him while bringing him down to do the things he was doing to make your headache feel worse.

Oh I love being a mom!

Family Day of Victory Dasma

We are attending church services at Victory Dasma.  Last May 1, a declared holiday, Victory Dasma held its Family Day.  Since Leo and I have no plans that day, we registered to attend and play the games.

Is it yellow or green team?

And yes, we need to show patriotism before the games begin.

There were different games played by 4 teams.  All of these games are Filipino games with some twist.  It was so fun that everyone gets to join and play.

Here is the list of games which you can play too:

·    Agawan ng Salbabida – two teams compete.  15 players per team.  Each player is assigned a number.  The game master shouts a number combination and all players assigned to that number will try to get the tire (salbabida), which is at the middle of the game area, in their home base. 

·   Pinoy Football – or what American’s call soft ball.  The same set of rules applies.  I was part of our team’s players and yes, I was kicked out the moment the ball touched my foot L

·   Patintero – this is just the normal patintero.  We just tweaked the point system.  Instead of 1 point per home base, we put a point in every entry pass.

  

·      Tamaan Tao – or what American’s call dodge ball.  20 players fpor the playing team, 6 players for the opposing team.  This game is where the ball hit me in the forehead.  I was really not lucky that day L

·       Catch the Ball – 10 players in the game area with baskets in their head.  Two big sling shots 2 meters away.  The players in the slingshot area will use it to throw the balls in the game areas.  Players with baskets in there head will catch the balls. 

In the middle of the day, Leo experienced headache so he just rest while we play.  Being a lampa (not sporty person), I tried to join the games but eventually just became a cheerer in the end.

It was one happy event though.  It’s not every day that Leo and I get to play games with each other.  Hopefully 5 years from now, Neo will be joining us in this family day as a player himself J

What I Learned From My Three Moms

I was born to one, raised by two, and now have three.  My mom gave birth to me more than 20 years ago.  I was raised by both my mom and my lola, who I fondly called Mama.  Now, thanks to marrying my husband, I was granted yet another mom, my mom-in-law.

My mom was not what you will call a tender mom.  She’s a disciplinarian.  I was raised that way.  She is not someone I will call my #1 fan, but far from it as she is my #1 critic.  She will criticize the way I do things so I will do it better.  She’s not so showy in her affections most of the time, but does it when I needed it most.  If there’s one thing I learned from my mom, its raising independent Me.

My lola, Neo’s Mamita, who raised me as her youngest child has showed me so much love down to me being spoiled by her.  She is someone I would run too when my mom and I fight.  She would hug me, kiss me, and show me how much she loves me.  A lot of times she will tell me: “Mahal na mahal kita”.  That changed when Neo came along.  Now “Mahal na mahal ko si Neo”.  If there’s one thing I learned from my lola, its showing the person you love how much you love them.

My mom-in-law, Mama Bebing, is a superwoman.  She works fulltime and raised 4 children at the same time (helped by my father-in-law).  We rarely go home to Cagayan but during the times we go there, I am treated like a princess (which I am really not accustomed to).  Mama Bebing raised a wonderful son, my husband.  I love reading the quote below.  This applies very much to my husband and my mom-in-law.  If there’s one thing I learned from my mom-in-law, it’s raising your son to be a fine man that you can be proud of.

Now that I am a mom myself, I am hoping and praying to impart these things I learned from my three moms. 

God help me to be a mom like my mom who will raise an independent Neo.

God help me to be a mom like my lola who will show Neo in all ways how much I love him. 

And God help me to be a mom like my mom-in-law who will raise Neo to be a fine man that everyone will be proud of.

Happy Mother’s Day to my three moms and to all moms!  And God bless you all!

Press Release: BERTA ROJAS LIVE IN MANILA ON MAY 15

 Berta Rojas, a star in the international guitar community, will hold concerts in Manila and Cebu on May 15 and May 17 respectively.

Ms. Rojas is tourism ambassador of her native Paraguay, where she happens to be the most popular musician. It is her profile that greets visitors just coming out of the international airport in Asuncion, the country’s capital.

The concert in Manila will be at 8 pm in the Meralco Theater. The concert in Cebu will be at 8 pm in the Marcelo Fernan Hall in Lahug. Jointly organized by the Independent Philippine Art Ventures, Inc., and the Arts Council of Cebu Foundation, the concerts will be the classical guitar events of the year in the country.

Ms. Rojas, described by the Wahington Post as “Guitarist extraordinaire,” will play a mainly classical repertoire with a taste of jazz and salsa.

Special guests for the Manila concert are Ramoncito Carpio, the country’s most internationally awarded classic guitarist and Triple Fret, a trio composed of Marga Abejo, Jenny de Vera, and Iqui Vinculado. Triple Fret play classical and more accessible pieces.

For ticket inquiries, call Ticketworld at 891.9999

Mystery Solved

Neo is very fond of taking pictures using his tablet. Those are disoriented pictures, by the way.  Pictures of his forehead.  Pictures of our curtains.  And a lot more blank pictures.

Two months ago, I saw a sadako-looking girl in a blank picture at Neo’s tablet.  I asked Leo about it but he dismissed it saying “someone must have sent it via Bluetooth and Neo accidentally accepted it”.  I deleted the photo and forgot about it.

Last Saturday, Ate Espie went on an errand.  I was so busy in our kitchen when suddenly Neo started crying.  When I checked, Leo grabbed Neo’s tablet. 

Me: Love, balik mo na kay Neo yang tablet.  Para hindi na maingay.

Leo: may importante akong ginagawa.

Leo gave me a very grave tone.  I dismissed it thinking he must be tired and irritable only.

When it was time to rest, Leo admitted something.  He was agitated daw.  Because when he was supervising Neo playing the tablet, he again saw the sadako-looking girl in one of Neo’s photo.  The sadako-looking girl was at Neo’s forehead.  He thought, “baka may multo sa bahay at si Neo ang binabantayan ng multo”.   He wanted our pastor to bless the house again.

I started to get scared.  Really.  A ghost in our house.  NAKAKALOKA.

Then he told me, he investigated something and it turns out IT WAS THE GHOST EFFECT OF CAMERA 360 that he downloaded.

We ended up laughing.  It was indeed a scary Saturday night for us.  I didn’t post any pictures of the sadako-looking girl.  I don’t want to remember her look anymore.  If you want to see her, just search for her in the internet.  She looks scary, promise.

(photo from google.)

Movie Stars Café

Have you been to a restaurant full of entertainment and good food?  If not, I encourage you to try Movie Stars Café at Seaside Blvd, SM Mall of Asia.  If yes, I still encourage you to try this one.

I am fortunate enough to try Movie Stars Café last April 30^th.  This restaurant is located at Seaside Blvd at SM Mall of Asia.  If you frequently visit Mall of Asia, you would know that Seaside Blvd offers so much good places to eat at.  And Movie Stars Café is one of it.

Movie Stars Café is decorated by different movie stars statues.  From Spiderman to Iron Man and a lot more. 

It also has pictures of Hollywood stars with their autographs in it.

Inside, you will be greeted by different staffs in movie star’s costume. 

 So take as much pictures as you want.

They offer buffet and ala carte dishes.  And since Leo and I love buffets, we chose it.  They have limited selection for the buffet foods but you will surely enjoy it because these limited selections are what you will be looking for a buffet resto.

Buffet food choices

Buffet price

During the course of the night, you will enjoy a series of entertainment.   Dancing superheroes, cosplayers, movie adaptation (it was The Lion King and Spiderman when we went there), and for the night we were at Movie Stars Café, Starmarie, a J-Pop Duo was there to perform. 

Children and Adults who are children at heart will have so much fun in this place.  This place will bring the child in you.  A place that will surely help you unwind and release all the stress of the day.

So go and visit Movie Stars Café.  Movie Stars Café will be giving my blog readers 10% discount in their total bill.  Just present the below code:  FOVC-5291

Happy eating!