Mother's Day Gift Suggestions

Mother's Day will be on May 8 this year. It's barely 2 weeks away and to tell you the truth, I haven't thought of what to give my Moms yet. So I started looking for special mothers day gifts ideas online and came across RedEnvelope.com. The items there are too cute, I couldn't resist!



I'm positive that my Mom and MIL will love these accessories. They also have memories and keepsakes section which are also nice to give for them. Usually it would be a plus if I include photos of their grandkids. Oh, I can't wait to order now. If you are also considering giving out flowers, RedEnvelope.com can provide these for you. Yes, they got everything you need! (*wink*)

Our Uneventful Flight to Caticlan

Last year, Hubby and I decided to spend the Holy Week in Boracay. I know, it was a big decision for us because we knew that airfares and accomodations would be too expensive during this time of the year. But we wanted the kids to see it and since we usually have a long break for Holy Week, we still went through with it. But we decided to book EARLY. I guess that's the only thing that we can do to make it a little cheaper.

Our cebu pacific flight was booked months before our trip and so were our accomodations. At least I was forced to save. I have a good reason to splurge on this trip since it was a celebration of Ate A's 5th birthday, our summer getaway, and Mother's & Father's Day.

We finally headed to the airport last Sunday at around 9AM. The little girls had no idea where we were going. It was supposed to be a surprise trip to Ate A.




They were a little bored at the airport while waiting for our flight. But thanks to the DVD player, they sat down for a few minutes.

I would say it was an uneventful flight because it wasn't delayed nor bumped off to Kalibo (which we were kind of expecting). That's why we were so thankful! Everything just happened in a breeze.


We rode a bus for a short while to go to the plane. The girls immediately fell asleep as soon as they had their seatbelts buckled. They probably knew the drill already. LOL! The flight was only for an hour. I wasn't even able to take a nap anymore. Our excitements were building up already. We're finally going to the beach!

Backing Up Files Before our Quick Vacay

Before heading out to the beach last weekend, I finished some tasks at work and did some research on data backup services which I will be forwarding to my Boss after Holy Week. I was able to backup my files before the break using Databackup.net. I'm glad I found this site because backing up files is one of the weekly tasks that I usually do. I hope my Boss will like this service too.

I'm also recommending this to my friends and sister who have lots of files to backup at least every week. After our HD crashed several years ago, it taught me a lesson that I should backup my files such as photos, videos, mp3s, office documents and more at least every week. Now, I do it religiously. At least, I'm assured that my files are safe and with that, I can sleep well at night.

Wednesday Happy Thoughts

Happiness is...

1. Trip to Boracay over the Holy Week
2. Drank all the shakes we wanted
3. The kids had a GRAND time!
4. Yummy breakfast
5. Night Out
6. RIO movie (Loved it! Thanks again Kuya!)
7. Swim. Play. Bond.
8. 3-Hour Easter Vigil Mass (it was worth it!)
9. Online Rakets
10. Coffee

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

I'm Tempted.

Burger Avenue is having a BUY 1, TAKE 1 promo for TODAY only!


Here are more details:

* Burger Avenue's 3rd Anniversary in A Venue Mall.
* Buy one Take one promotion for all items on the menu.
* Promotion is valid on April 25, 2011, from 10:00am to 2:00am at Burger Avenue A Venue Mall branch.
* Strictly for Dine-in only.
* The FREE item will be the exact item bought.
* The flyer above must be printed and presented to the cashier upon ordering.

I so want to go!

Looking for a Multi Media Player for my Desktop

Over the holidays, the whole family just stayed at home after a quick vacation from Sunday to Wednesday. Now, I'm so glad we were able to make time to go to Church, reflect and bond more as a family. While we were just at home, we also found time to watch movies and listen to our favorite songs. That's why now I wanted to look for a multi-media player for our desktop computer. I find it useful especially the kids who love to watch movies.

I explored a lot of options and came across the KMPlayer. The audio and video clips I saw looks clear and the installing part looks very simple. These are the softwares that I'm looking for, easy to install and very user-friendly. Another multi media player that I discover is the Media Player Classic which looks promising. It is a great program for audio and video playback functions. What I love about this player is that you can customize using skins. Better viewing, I guess! Another option is the MPlayer software. This one is different since it converts AVI files on a linux platform. Linux users would be happy to use this!

Other things that I'm looking is getting the Miranda IM. An instant messenger with an add-on to enable your webcam. I'm thinking of getting this as well. Apart from that, the Notepad ++ Software is something that I can use at home and at work too. Notepad in Windows 7 can be replaced with this software now, I just have to read more on how I can do it.

There are so many available softwares now and most of it are pretty useful. So will see what my budget can accomodate and I will see from there.

Back from a Quick Vacay...

...that's us! We came back last Wednesday night and all I can say is that, we all had a BLAST!

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Summer is never complete without a trip to the beach! My kids had a grand time swimming and playing at the sand. It was like heaven to them. As for Hubby and I, we had fun drinking as early as 10AM and ate as much seafoods as we wanted. It was bliss!

Will be back with more stories and photos soon!

We Love Wee Nam Kee!

Last weekend, my sister and I decided to treat our Dad to dinner. We haven't tried Wee Nam Kee yet and since I've heard a lot of raves about this restaurant, we decided to try it out.

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The Kids with the Lolo!


We were number 11 on the list. The restaurant was full, as expected on a Saturday night. But surprisingly, we didn't have to wait that long. We were seated after 10 minutes. We ordered immediately because everyone was starving!

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Loved the look and feel of the Resto!


We had the famous hainanese chicken rice (both steamed and roasted), crispy noodles, cereal prawns, taiwan pechay, hot and sour soup, and yang chow fried rice.

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Roasted is more tasty than Steamed


We loved all of it especially the kids. The cereal prawns was a rip off though since we had only 4pcs for the price of P375+. Though the combination of the prawns and the cereals was really good.

We were so full after eating so we explored the area first and walked for 1.5 rounds around Ayala Triangle. (Note: The area wasn't too big! LOL!)

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And then we had gelato from Amici for dessert. YUM!

Had Dinner at our Favorite Cibo

I purchased a Pakyaw promo a couple of weeks ago. It was 50% OFF so I grabbed it immediately. We tried availing the promo a couple of weekends ago but we printed the wrong part of the coupon. Oh well! But, we decided to push through with our dinner at Cibo and use the coupon some other time.

While Hubby and I were busy eating, the kids were also busy with these...

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We had Dip Al Forno with Crostini. I ordered for Pasta in Pesto while Hubby got the Lombatine Di Maiale which includes roast pork chop, mango mamellata, parsley rice pilaf. I would say, Cibo is still our fave!

The Importance of Personal Injury Lawyers

When I read about the Topamax lawsuit, I realized the importance of having a personal injury lawyer. It's like having someone you can count on in case something happens to you. Topamax if you read about it is just an anti-convulsant used to treat epileptic seizures in children and adults. It is even prescribed to prevent migraine headaches. Who would have thought that it can result in cleft lip or cleft palate – birth defects that occur when the lip or palate fail to completely fuse together. This is definitely an injury. Good thing there are personal injury lawyers at O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath who can help you if ever something like this would happen to you. Just call O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath – Personal Injury Lawyers – 808 West Avenue, Austin, TX. 78701 – 512-494-9949 for more information.

The Lolo Was Here!

Yes for almost 2 weeks, Lolo Dan (my Dad) was in Manila for a quick vacation. The kids were ecstatic when they heard about their Lolo's vacay. So when he arrived, we had dinner at Via Mare.

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Actually, I also had lunch there with my College blockmates and since I was craving for Puto Bumbong for days now, I insisted on having dinner again at Via Mare.

Everyone was happy with Sinigang na Salmon Head, Crispy Pata and Oyster Rockefellers. We also ordered Puto bumbong for dessert. It was a sumptious dinner and was definitely able to fulfil my puto bumbong cravings! YUM! Thanks again, Dad!

Cruising and Loving the Sunset at Manila Bay

My FIL had a 3-day 70th birthday celebration. One is on his birthday itself where we had dinner at their house. The second one was when we cruised Manila Bay and then had dinner afterwards at Harbor View.

The cruise itself was nothing spectacular. Probably because we were not tourists and we've seen the Manila Bay area for several times already. What is memorable was the kids having fun riding a boat. They love the new experience and I'm sure they will remember it for months.

The Hubby took a lot of photos and here are my faves...

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The cruise took only an hour and 30 minutes. We were able to watch the fireworks in front of MOA while we were at the boat. The kids love it to bits! We didn't avail of the the dinner though so I can't say if it was good or not.

One thing I couldn't forget is that the trip was windy so if you are planning of availing the same cruise, I suggest you bring a jacket! Too bad we forgot ours in the car.

I'm glad that they organized things such as this. It makes you appreciate Manila more and feel proud of what we got.

Looking for a Medicine to Prevent Migraine

That's what I've been doing for the past few months now. I've been getting migraines for almost a year now. I noticed that it usually starts when I'm expecting my period. I heard about Topamax. I've read that it actually prevents migraines and headaches. I wanted to try it out until I found out that it has side effects. It is also used as an anti-convulsant used to treat epileptic seizures in children and adults. But the thing is, Topamax can result in cleft lip or cleft palate รข€“ birth defects that occur when the lip or palate fail to completely fuse together. Good thing there is Pristiq Lawsuit that is being offered by O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath and their Personal Injury Lawyers. They provide great service when it comes to these type of problems.

So if you think you are contact the address below and get help fast!

O’Hanlon, McCollom - Demerath - Personal Injury Lawyers - 808 West Avenue, Austin, TX. 78701

Ate A had Fun in Tagaytay

When we were in Tagaytay last month, the little girl had the time of her life. She was able to do what she wanted to do for so long now...

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She was able to ride her bike!

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Although the weather was so cold, she still managed to make the most out of it and continued to play outdoors.

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My eldest baby is no longer a baby. That's what I thought when I saw these photos. She's growing up too fast! She's going to be in big school this coming school year. I still can't believe it! She's very excited and hopefully she continues to get this excited until the end of the schoolyear. We'll see!

Ate A is finally Doing What she Loves!

...and it's ballet!

It's been months since she wanted to attend a class. And finally, when the school ended, and ever since the summer began, she started attending ballet class. And she is so loving it!

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Especially when she found out that her friend Yssa is also attending the class.

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Since the class is only once a week, the little girl would look forward to her ballet class everyday! She loves the steps so much

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Now, I'm looking forward to her recital next month! I'm really glad she found something that she loves doing. (*grin*)

Baby A's First Day of Summer School

We decided to enroll Baby A for summer school this year so she can meet new friends and learn new things as well. She started last Monday (April 11, 2011). We prepared her by telling her not to cry, not to look for Yaya, and not to bring her security blanket which she calls mangkik. She agreed to everything. But well, of course, on the day of her summer school, everything didn't happen as planned. LOL!

I brought the Ate with me when I brought Baby A to school and somehow she thought that Ate will be with her all throughout her class. So when she was already inside the classroom, she looked for her Ate and when she found out she wasn't there, she cried. So I just asked the Teacher if the Yaya can go inside. I knew that this usually happens on the first day of school. I even read a writeup before (during Ate A's time) but didn't read that article well because I didn't have the same problem with Ate A.

Baby A is different, after all!

Baby A enjoyed her first day though as soon as her Yaya was with her. She responds to the Teacher (although her voice is very soft) but she answers her questions and tries to sing with the class.

She got a "Good Job" stamp when they called it a day!

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Well, this is a big adjustment for Baby A considering she was just at home the whole time. I really hope that she enjoys her summer school and hopefully looks forward to going to school when she reaches 4.

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GOOD JOB, Baby A!

Thinking of Moving On to the Next Level

When I think about my Masteral days, I still can't believed that I finished the 2 year course. I'm proud to say I was able to pay my tuition on my own. It was so liberating to know that I was able to achieve such milestone.



Now, I'm thinking of moving on and taking the next level. But I'm not sure if I would take another course in an Online University, take online degree programs in project management, or proceed to the Doctorate level of Information Management. There are so many options. But I have to consider my time. I work from 8am to 5pm and considering I have 2 kids to take care of, I need to maximize my time. So I guess studying online is the best way to go. With this I don't need to go out of the house. I can find courses at FindYourEducation.com that is related to my Masteral Degree. There's even a Federal Student Aid College Finder at http://studentaid2.ed.gov/gotocollege/collegefinder/advanced_find.asp that I can avail. Who knows, I can apply for a student aid. I will think about it more and see how it goes in the next few months.

Fun Easter Getaway for the Whole Family

Are you looking for a family getaway this Easter Sunday?


Its a great time for family bonding, lots of goodies and fun fun activities awaits the whole family.

Here are the details:

Venue : Km 58, Maharlika West, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay City, 4120 Philippines
Telephone Numbers : 240 6888 / 0922 852 6800

Childcare Services in Dublin

I've always wanted to go to Ireland. And one city that I really wanted to visit is Dublin. Now that I found out they have Montessori Schools, all the more I want to visit that beautiful city and would you believe consider even moving there. Having a good school is one of the important requirements that we consider living. Kids are the priority and their education too. I've read that they even have convenient locations for all working parents. Perfect, right?

The Preschool Dublin and Montessori Dublin are the things that I'm looking at since I have a 5 year old and a 2 year old. My little girl started when she was 3. My baby girl is about to start now that she is 2 years and 5 months old. Both of them love school very much. Which is a good thing. I believe that it actually depends on the school environment. How they treat the kids, how they teach, the routines, and the guidelines. The happiness of every kid all depends on the school and the Teachers too. Just by reading at the Giraffe Childcare and Early Learning website, I can see that they deliver well and provides a good curriculum for their students. Now, the question is, is it feasible to move there? We'll see!

A Good Movie + Popcorn = Perfect Night Out

Yes, we finally saw RIO the other night. Thanks to BIL for treating us for dinner and movie.


It was a fun movie. And the girls were so looking forward to it. Eating pop corn was also another thing. Watching a movie is never complete without popcorn. The kids associated popcorn with movie that's why everytime we watch, popcorn should be cooked. Even if we are at home, they would request for popcorn!

This is the reason why I wanted to get a popcorn maker. It's just different from those microwaveable ones. I remember when I was a kid, my family and I would cook popcorn every weekend. We had a popcorn maker bought from the US. It was very useful since microwaveable popcorns were not yet available during that time. The excitement of seeing the popcorn slide through the popcorn maker is so different from hearing it pop from the microwave. I can remember the smell too (up to now). The butter that melts along with the popcorn. Those were the days when everything was so simple. It was our bonding moment and I will never forget those moments.

Now, I want to get those popcorn machines for my kids. They love popcorn to bits and they would appreciate this. We can use this every weekend. I'm looking at a couple of options from ePopcorn.com. The machines look sturdy and of good quality. I can order online and have it shipped to my Mom's. Just the thought of it makes me really excited! I'm sure the kids would feel the same way too.

Wednesday Happy Thoughts

Happiness is...

1. 1 cup of coffee
2. The little girl is enrolled!
3. Andie's summer school
4. Instagramming!
5. Iphone from my Dad (*grin*)
6. Iphone apps and games
7. Excited for our next trip!
8. CFC Household
9. Dinner at Itallianis
10. eBooks!

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

The BIG Outlet Sale

I'm thinking of going to this huge outlet sale!



Featured Brands include:
Fashion: Adidas - Collezione - Giordano - Jockey - Levi's - Maldita - Plains & Prints - Team Manila

Sportswear/ Footwear: Accel - And 1 - Grandha - Hush Puppies - Puma - Sanuk - Sebago - Speedo

Beauty/ Fragrances: Anne Klein - Burberry - Bvlgari - Guerlain - Max Factor - Yves Saint Laurent

Eyewear/ Wrist wear: TechnoMarine - Ray-Ban - Kenneth Cole - Lacoste eyewear - Polo Ralph Lauren - Calvin Klein

Sporting Goods: Babolat - Deuter - Head - JB Sports - Mares - Slazenger

Computers/ Gadgets: Canon - Digital Walker - Power Mac - Switch
and more!

The Big Hot Summer Outlet Sale 2011 is from April 15, 16 and 17, 2011 (Friday - Sunday) at The Mega Tent, Meralco Ave., Ortigas. This event is open to all existing cardholders of BPI Express Credit (Classic, Edge and Mini-Edge MasterCard, Blue MasterCard, Gold MasterCard, Petron-BPI MasterCard, BPI WorldPerks MasterCard, BPI Skymiles Regular MasterCard, BPI Skymiles Platinum MasterCard and BPI Corporate Cards), BPI Express Payment System, and BPI Express Cash.

We'll see how it goes this weekend. (*wink*)

More Investments, More Savings

I've been checking our finances every now and then and read a lot of articles about money and budget management for the past few months now. I actually enjoy reading up topics about this but when it comes to investment, I tend to gear away from it. It's too overwhelming and I just think it's impossible for me to understand it totally. But since I love gold so much I find it easy to understand investing in gold IRA. I believe that investing is a big step especially if you invest in gold 401k. I'm no investment guru but after reading articles about if for over a year now, I believe that it's a way to invest to earn more.

One of the leading companies in the IRA gold I noticed is the Gold Coins Gain. They are available online and if you want to know about the company and how to invest in gold, their website has a lot of information about this. Comparisons are made from 2000 to present which is a very important step in buying gold. Of course you want to know the trend and wants to make sure that you are making the right move. After all, you are investing your hard earned money, right?

Thankful for our 2010 Travels

My weekends are so busy this summer because Ate A is taking ballet lessons. Summer outings are also scheduled almost every other weekend. I'm having so much fun! That's why when I was supposed to find a motorhome repair last Saturday, I was on vacation mode already that I just browsed our 2010 travel photos.

I can't believed we've been to a lot of places last year. It was a fun year, I would say!

We started the year with a bang - by celebrating our anniversary in Hongkong.

JANUARY 2010 - HONGKONG

For 3 days and 2 nights, we stayed at Disney Hollywood Hotel and explored the park for 2 whole days. Now you can imagine how fun the kids had when we were there!



The girls were ecstatic! We transferred to the city on our 3rd day and spent our last day in HK at Ocean Park.


WE got home exhausted but the trip I would say was definitely worth it!

MARCH 2010 - BICOL for HOLY WEEK

We spent the Holy Week in Bicol with the in-laws. We dropped by Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC) then proceeded to go to Bacon, Sorsogon.

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It was also FIL"s 69th birthday so he had a simple party with the relatives.

APRIL 2010 - BUKIDNON (BOVIC and AMOR's WEDDING)

April of 2010 was memorable because my cousin Bovic and Amor got Ate A as their flower girl. So off we went to my hometown, Malaybalay City to celebrate my cousin's wedding.


We also grabbed the opportunity to eat at Del Monte Clubhouse and I would say the best roast beef I've ever tasted!


Before our flight back to MNL, we ate at our favorite, Jo's Inato Chicken House.

APRIL 2010 - TAGAYTAY with CFC HOUSEHOLD

Same month in April, we went back to Tagaytay to have breakfast at Bag O'Beans and stayed for the night with the CFC household.



MAY 2010 - MANILA (SOFITEL)

We wanted to spend more time under the sun and make the most out of summer so we decided to celebrate Mother's and Father's Day at Sofitel for a weekend.



JULY 2010 - TAGAYTAY (THE BOUTIQUE)

As my gift to the Hubby, I treated him for an overnight stay at The Boutique in Tagaytay.


We also got to try Bawai's and Cafe Verbena restaurants. The food was good!



SEPTEMBER 2010 - BOHOL

Another unforgettable trip in 2010 was our Bohol trip to celebrate my birthday! It was my second time in Bohol but I fell in love with the place all over again.



It was Hubby's first time and he said he wanted to go back to Bohol this time with the kids.

We stayed in one of villas in Amorita Resort which was so lovely we never wanted to leave.



I really hope we could bring the kids to Bohol. Hopefully in the next few years.

OCTOBER 2010 - TAGAYTAY with DANDY and YANG

My brother Dandy came home (from Singapore) for his birthday so we went to Tagaytay for a quick getaway. We dropped by Paseo de Sta. Rosa for lunch at Kanin Club then off we went to Tagaytay.


NOVEMBER 2010 - DAHILAYAN and MALAYBALAY

It was already a tradition that my kids' 2nd birthday will be spent at my hometown. So when Baby A turns 2, we travelled to Malaybalay for her party. We had a side trip to Dahilayan to try the famous zip line. It was unforgettable!



Baby A's party was also a success! The kids had fun especially Ate A who had fun playing with her cousins.



Thanks to my Tita Carol for the beautiful stage backdrop!

DECEMBER 2010 - SINGAPORE and INDONESIA

For the Ramos' family's yearly tradition, we travelled all the way to Singapore. It was another trip worth remembering! We all had FUN!

We went to Siloso Beach and watched Songs of the Sea at Sentosa Island.


We also went to Universal Studios Singapore and tried the scary rides.


After a few days, we took the ferry to Bintan, Indonesia. It was so quiet there, perfect time to relax and unwind before we headed back to the busy streets of Singapore.




We spent NYE and New Year's Day in Singapore before our flight back to MNL.

It was time to go back to reality and look forward again for more travels in 2011.