March Monthly Roundup

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
- Stephenie Meyer's Eclipse and Breaking Dawn

What movies and/or TV shows did I watch this month?
- One Tree Hill Season 4
- Twilight Movie
- Tropic Thunder
- Eagle Eye

What special days did I celebrate and how?
- Alex's 3rd Birthday (she had two parties - at home with her cousins and a Jollibee Party with Kythe kids)

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
- We gave a rocking horse for the little girl
- I wanted to ask Hubby one free hotel night but I can't think of any occasion for this month. Probably on my birthday in a few months.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
- Had headache probably because of the (very) hot weather
- Andie had infection

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
- Family Day with the in-laws
- Watched Spelling Bee play with Farrah and then had coffee afterwards
- Celebrated with Eugene on his 7th birthday, will post some of the photos soon.

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
- Seattle's Big Breakfast
- Krispy Kreme's CHocolate Karnival
- Designer Sandwich at Oliver's
- Som's Noodle House's Thai Spring Rolls and Bagoong Rice
- Pixie's Boneless Bangus

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
- None

What were this month's disappointments?
- As usual I've been stressed arguing with the little girl. She's getting on my nerves sometimes especially if she doesn't want to eat, sleep or brush her teeth.

What were my accomplishments this month?
- Still breastfeeding for 4.5 months
- Andie got well from her infection
- Prepared (and finally decided) on what to do with Alex's summer school

Some Great Updates...

I haven't been writing updates on Alex and Andie lately. So here are a few (but great) updates on them.

On Alex...

It's been exactly 6 days since she's been sleeping without her "mangkik". Her security "blanket". You might notice that she would always bring it wherever. Check this photo out...

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Almost all her photos (since she was 1 month old) includes the "mangkik". But ever since I made a deal with her that she can only use it IF she drinks milk, she never uses it again. The downside is that, she doesn't drink that much milk anymore. You see, we tried changing her milk but she didn't want Nido or anything else. Unfortunately when we gave her the old milk, she doesn't like it anymore. So since she doesn't want to drink anyway, I made it an excuse for her so she can't use the "mangkik" anymore.

Oh well, we've trying (really hard) to make her drink (anchor, nido, sustagen chocolate, fresh milk) but to no avail. Now I will try to let her drink cowhead. I hope she likes it. She also drinks Gain 4 Advance (thanks to Jane's suggestion) but only when she is asleep.

I guess with this we have a reason to wean her from the bottle already.

On Andie...

Thank God she doesn't have infection anymore! Her pedia gave her anti-biotic for a week. The effect of the medicine was that she had diarrhea. With that she lost weight a little bit. :( Her appetite also changed.

But now, she is better than ever! No more diarrhea and no more infection! And her appetite is back too!

She sleeps longer too. From 10PM to 6AM (drinks milk in-between) but moves a lot! So we would still (always) wake up in the middle of the night.

Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore. As long as both of them are fine and healthy too.

Now, I'm off to find some cattle supplies for a friend in Mindanao who will be having a business on Live Stocks. I just hope I find a lot of info about it.

Wednesday Happy Thoughts

Happiness is...

1. Razon's halo-halo and sisig
2. Hearing Andie's wonderful laugh
3. Stephenie Meyer's Breaking Dawn
4. Didache readings
5. Blog Hopping
6. Planning for a trip
7. Nice photos by Hubby
8. Alex drinking her new milk
9. a Good laugh with Alex
10. Planning to go to EK

To know how this started and credits of the header, click here.

The Future Bully?

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I definitely hope not! LOL!

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

I'm a Mother ; I’m a Wife

Tagged by Eds! Thanks sis! ;)

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Rules PLEASE:

1. Link with the person who tagged you.
2. Copy above images.
3. Post this on any or all of your Blog/s.
4. Answer the two-part questionnaire following these Rules. (Feel free to elaborate your answers. For questions 8 - 14, post only the one (1) which you believe best describes your choice.)
5. Share this with at least seven (7) friends on your Blog Roll.
6. Come back to Living A’ La Mode (DO NOT CHANGE THIS LINK PLEASE.) and leave the URL of your Post in order for you/your Blog to be added to the Master List.




Master List:

1. Tet of A Sweet Taste of Life
2.
Cee of Living A’ La Mode
3.
Dez of My Life in this Wonderful World

4. Vanniedosa of Life With Style
5. Eds of Eds Mommy Life

7. Have fun!



~ Parenting Style ~

1. Do you exercise full or minimal control over your child’s / children’s behavior?
+ We both do the disciplining. When I get tired, he will take over. When he gets tired, I will take over.

2. Do you expect your child / children to obey 100% or let her / him / them do what pleases her / him / them?
+ Before, I used to believe that they will obey me 100% but now that they have a mind of their own, I think I will try to listen to what they also think. But if we are talking about their safety, it cannot be compromised!

3. Do you welcome discussion or you simply set rules?
+ Right now I would be open for discussion

4. Do you reprimand?
+ Yes.

5. Do you use spanking for punishment?
+ Not all the time. I try to control myself.

6. Do you use some kind of a reward System for motivation?
+ Yes. LOL!

7. Do you enjoy being a Parent?
+ Yes and No. There are times that I feel proud to be a parent, there are times that I want to be young and free again and no responsibilities. This usually happens when Alex is being hard on us.

8. Are you a hands-on Parent or do you have a full-time Nanny?
+ I'm hands-on but I also have a full time nanny who looks after the kids when I work (at home)

9. At what age would you let your child make simple decisions for himself / herself?
+ It depends on the situation.

10.Do you and your Husband have the same Parenting Style?
+ I don't think so.

~ Wife Style ~

7. How long have you been married?
+ 4 years.

8. How do you feel about being a Wife?
+ I feel like I'm not being the traditional wife who prepares Hubby's stuff, cooks for him, and more but I try my best to support him in his career, make sure that he eats healthy, make him happy, and take really good care of his kids. :)

9. What has been your typical sleeping attire since you got married?
+ Shorts and a sleeveless shirt

10. How do you show how appreciative you are of your Husband?
+ I treat him to dinner or movie or dessert. LOL! And I give him a gift that he wants.

11. What do you do when your Husband annoys you?
+ Sometimes I do the silent treatment, sometimes, I would tell him what he just did that didn't make me happy

12. You are buying or planning to buy your first house as Husband and Wife….
+ I want the size to be just right and that the style would be minimalist.

13. How does your house look like at the end of the day when Hubby gets home?
+ a MESS! Because of Alex's whole bunch of TOYS! Aaargh!

14. How do you feel about running a household?
+ A huge (but fun) responsibility

15. What is the sweetest gift you have given your Husband so far?
+ Cash. LOL! :D

The Happiest Day of her Life. (so far!)

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Stories and Photos here.

Ate A and Baby A

While I was checking out some articles about rv and uploading Baby A's four month photos (she is 4 months today!), I felt like it was deja vu. She looked like Ate A so much! Check it out...

I'm so cute!
Ate A at 4 months old...
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Baby A is almost 4 months old...
What do you think? Is it just me or they really do look alike? :D Check out the updates here on Baby A as she turns 4 months old today!

Wednesday Happy Thoughts

Happiness is...

1. Alex's 3rd Birthday
2. Andie is turning 4 months this month!
3. Stephenie Meyer's Eclipse
4. Twilight the Movie
5. Dinner out with my good friend MM
6. Clowns on Eugene's birthday party
7. Good weather (not too hot on a summer!)
8. Reconnecting with old friends through FB
9. Internet connection is back!
10. Jollibee!

To know how this started and credits of the header, click here.

Ate A's 3rd Birthday Celebrations

Last March 9, Ate A had a very simple celebration with her cousins, Lolo, Lolas, Titos and Tita. I just wanted her to blow her cake (since she is now in the stage where she looooves to blow cakes and enjoys birthday parties already). So I decided to invite her cousins and the rest of the family. The kids had a great time playing. They were only four kids (one is already a 10 year old) in the house but it felt like there were around 10 small kids! LOL! I just bought a nice cake from Goldilocks.

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I ordered snacks from Conti's. - Beef Salpicao - Cheese Sausage - Chicken Croquettes - Mini Sandwiches - Petite Pies - Assorted Dips w/ Melba Toast - Cream Puffs Then I asked my Mom to cook lasagna and chicken lumpiang shanghai which were a hit! The food lasted until dinner. I guess it was the most exciting day for Ate A! She received gifts from Lolo and Lola, Tito Mike, and the cousins. (* Thank you for the gifts! *) Here are more photos...
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Surprisingly, Baby A got really excited too! She didn't take a nap the whole afternoon! I can't wait for Baby A to grow up so she can join her Ate and cousins during play time. :)
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Last Saturday, we again celebrated Ate A's 3rd birthday by inviting the kids of KYTHE organization. They were the cancer patients (kids) of UST hospital. We chose Jollibee Dapitan. Oh! I can say that Ate A was in "cloud 9" when she saw Jollibee. I just don't know what's with Jollibee that could make kids crazy. HAHA! I still don't have the rest of the photos though so will just post the preview of the Jollibee party that Ate A has been looking forward to for months!
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Thank you for the gifts, Tito Mike and Tito Jun, Ninang Mage, Tita Ercs and Tito Cesar! ;)

Preview on Ate A's 3rd Birthday

Finally, I got my internet connection back! Since Monday after lunch I was out. That's when I realized how much I was attached to the internet. I just felt incomplete! LOL! Anyway, here are two photos as a preview of Ate A's 3rd birthday at home.

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She loved this cake to bits! IMG_5390 2
Enjoying our gift - a rocking horse!
More photos and stories soon!

Ate A's 3rd Birthday

...was yesterday! Happy Birthday Ate A! I wasn't able to post here yesterday because for some reason our landline and DSL was suddenly cut! Aaargh! It was a blessing in disguise though because with that, I was able to spend time with the birthday girl and Baby A too. It was such a great day for Ate A yesterday and she had fun playing with the cousins. We invited them over for snacks and so are the Titos, Titas, Lolo, and Lolas just so they could watch Ate A blow her cake. :D I'm glad we did, because Ate A was in high spirits yesterday and couldn't say anything except, "My birthday! My birthday! My birthday". Will post more stories and photos soon!

Capping off our Short Vacation in La Luz

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It was short indeed but just enough to get away from housework, work, internet life, and more. We had enough sea breeze and we ate a lot during our short vacation.

Alex and Andie had fun too.

Alex had fun swimming and playing in the sand. Andie had fun with the breeze, went to sleep in one of the cabanas.

I just hope that we get to have another beach getaway this summer!

To read more about our getaway check out my travel blog. (*wink*)

Swim and Play Time on our Second Day in La Luz

Our second day was as fun as our first day in La Luz.

It was swimming time for us! I took a dip in the water for a little while since I found the water too cold. The waves were also huge so I didn't enjoy swimming that much. Alex on the other hand loved the waves! She was in her "salbabadi" ("salbabida") as she calls it. She planned on staying in the water the whole morning.

But at around 9:30AM it was too hot to stay outdoors so we decided to go back to the cottage and rinse. Good thing they had a mini playground that made Alex forgot about swimming for awhile.

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The cabanas were also useful. We stayed there before lunch and Andie fell asleep because of the strong wind!

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The Dada was in charged of Andie while I play with Alex.

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Here are the rest of the photos taken in the afternoon after our nap.

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Andie is definitely Enjoying the Sea Breeze!

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Our Future Investment

I can say that I haven't thought about it yet. Some invest in real estate, some in money, some in gold and silver coins and some in cars. But for us, we haven't really decided which one to invest. But I have read somewhere that through Monex Deposit Company or MDC, you can actually purchase silver, gold or other precious metals and coins. They can provide an immediate personal delivery or arrange for convenient and safe storage at an independent bank or depository.

This is pretty convenient for people like me who knows nothing about these things. It's also good that they provide a lot of information over the web since this is where I usually stay for the rest of the day. I just hope that we get to decide which one to invest for our future.

Having Fun on our First Day in La Luz

We were supposed to have our family getaway last January as our anniversary celebration but I didn't think that I was ready considering that Andie was only 2 months old. So we decided to move it at the end of February so it can also serve as our Valentine's/Early Summer/Alex 3rd birthday celebration. We were lucky that when we decided to book La Luz, there were still available cottages for us.

I've been to La Luz in Laiya, Batangas for several times already and I'm always happy with how our trip there would turned out. Since Alex started to love the beach September last year, we were pretty sure that she would also love Batangas.

There were a lot of changes in the resort after a few years (probably 5 - 6 years ago). I liked it that all the cottages now don't look like nipa huts anymore. They also have WI-FI, which made me check my emails and was even able to purchase some New York Yankees tickets for my cousin in New Jersey. It was hassle-free!

The food has improved too. I loved how they setup the dining area every dinner time. It looks cozy and romantic. The place was huge now. They have a lot of cabanas too where you can just lounge all day. Andie loved staying in the cabanas, she fell asleep immediately.

Anyway, I will give you more details of our getaway on my travel blog hopefully this week. Watch out for it.

Here are some of our photos on our first day in La Luz Beach Resort. Click on the photos for the bigger version. ;)

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We were Here!



Yes, we were here (Laiya, Batangas) over the weekend and we had a blast! It was a short (yet just enough) break from work, reading on incontinence products, house duties, and blogging. We left Manila last Friday and then went home Sunday. It was Andie's first time at the beach! But it was our second out of town trip since I gave birth.

Will be back with more stories and photos soon! ;)

Have a great week everyone!

February Montly Roundup

February just passed by so quickly. I didn't even realize that it's March now. I'm not sure what happened last month. As far as I remember we just spent the Christmas and the New Year! LOL! The only thing that was clear to me was when I tried to look for some IT jobs for my brother. Anyway, I will do my best to remember for the February roundup. Here it is...

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
- Stephenie Meyer's New Moon
- Kerygma
- Back issues of YES magazine, Smart Parenting, Marie Claire

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
- Benjamin Button
- Jumper
- One Tree Hill Season 4
- Princess Bride

What special days did I celebrate and how?
- Valentine's Day

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
- I gave Hubby Sanuk as an anniv and vday gift
- I got Royce chocolates from Hubby on Valentine's day

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
- I had colds and backache
- Alex had colds
- Hubby had headache

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
- We went to Laiya for a getaway (more details soon)

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
- Breakfast at Portico
- Sugi Restaurant
- Conti's Chocolate Mousse
- Pizza Hut's Viva Italian Pizza
- Chili's Grill and Bar

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
- No special purchases this month

What were this month's disappointments?
- I had Yaya problems

What were my accomplishments this month?
- Still breastfeeding for 3months
- Andie is 3 months old this month and getting healthier everyday!
- Alex had her first dental checkup