Random Thoughts

Yesterday was Ate A's first Halloween party sponsored by her school. It was fun. But I can say that, the Dada had enjoyed more than Ate A. :D There were games for the kids, costume parade, snacks (the food was overflowing), the circus act show, and of course the traditional trick or treating.

We were so desperate for Ate A to get a prize so when the Teacher asked 5 Moms and 5 Dads to go up the stage, I FORCED Hubby to go up. He was more than willing. :P They played "Name that Tune" game. Thankfully Hubby is a fan of videoke so their group won! HA! Check out the photos of the Dada while on stage.

Looks like he was having fun huh!? LOL!

I loved the circus act show done by the Golden Show. It was hilarious but pretty stressful too. The kids loved the show so much. If I still have a budget for Baby A's party, I would surely get them. Oh well, maybe in one of the next parties of the girls perhaps.

So there's the girls' second trick or treat for this year! There are 2 more to go. Is Ate A getting tired of being Tinkerbell!? Naaaah, she even wants to be Tinkerbell next year too! LOL!

Happiness is...

1. Banana Monkey Cream Pie by Sonja's Cupcakes
2. Four Trick or Treats this year!
3. 7 kilos of Lanzones from Dad
4. New loots from Faye, arriving this Friday
5. Online "Window" Shopping
6. Scheduled "Me" time on Saturday
7. Hubby - My Technical and Emotional Support (*wink*)
8. CFC Household
9. Got better after a week of having colds
10. Kids are better too!

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

I would say she had a blast! She didn't really mind the wings and has been wearing it for several minutes. Knowing Baby A who doesn't like anything in her body, she would remove it as soon as it is attached to her. Surprisingly she loved it to bits!

There were tons of kids (and adults) at the clubhouse last Saturday. Baby A was just looking at the people around her. She wasn't fussy or anything. We went to the stage when the host called the kids 1 year and below. I thought she would be the youngest but guess who won? a 1 month old baby! Yes, you read it right. I was surprised either. A month old baby even had a costume! So cute! :)

Check out more photos with Ate A below.

I was surprised that there were 290 kids at the Halloween party last Saturday. It started at around 2pm and it was finished around 4PM. Then we went trick or treating around the village. Hubby and I got so tired that we decided to just get some candies in one street and then call it a day. We got a lot though even if we just went around the clubhouse. Ate A was happy with all her loots!

1 down. 3 more Halloween parties to go!

I'm just finishing up some tasks such as doing a little bit of reading about motorhome warranty. Good thing there are tons of stuff to read about motorhome online that I didn't need to look for other sites anymore. While doing that, the kids are preparing for their trick or treat today! Yey! Ate A has been looking forward to this day for weeks now. This is also Baby A's first trick or treat. So this is pretty special. Ate A personally chose her costume. She specifically wants to be "Tinkerbell". Look!

Baby A will be a butterfly! This was Ate A's costume before. She's going to wear a hand me down! But I'm sure she will still enjoy it. Watch out for the photos next week! (*wink*)

Last Monday, it was Ate A's United Nations Day in school. She was Miss Finland. Good thing she was not required to wear a costume anymore. We were just asked to make a flag of Finland and make her memorize a statement about it. So here is her Finland flag (patiently made by the Dada! Yey!) and her statement about the country...

Ate A: This is a Finland flag and Finland is very cold. (*wink*)

Yeap, that's Baby A! LOL! She turned 11 months yesterday and I still couldn't believe that she will be one next month. She has grown from 10 kilos to 10.6 kilos in one and a half months. Yeap she's very heavy now and I couldn't carry her that long anymore. She has this funny laugh these days that makes you laugh too! She can stand on her own for a couple of seconds without support. I saw her took a step but she fell after wards. She is trying to walk though. She is using her walker everyday and tries to run with it. Last night when her Ate A was crying, I tried to wipe her tears. After a few minutes, Baby A did the same! It was such a sweet gesture. I wish I was able to capture it on video but didn't have the time. It happened so fast! I can see that Baby A loves and looks up to her Ate so much. When she sees Ate A coming her way, she would excitedly greet her and shout as hard as she can just to greet her. I really hope they stay that way until they are grown ups. I can see that Baby A has her own personality now. When we had her photos taken at the studio last Saturday, she was uncomfortable that she cried the whole time. I was too confident that she would do well that I didn't prepare her for that event. I was thinking that she would be like Ate A who started having her photos taken at the studio when she was 7 months old. Baby A definitely has a different personality. I guess the environment has something to do with it too since it was a bit small and dark. The photographer didn't do anything at all either. I was so disappointed. There goes my dream invite for her first birthday! But anyway, it just means that I have to check the place first before having her photos taken. I have to do a mock up studio picture taking too (but how can I do that!? LOL!). I learned my lesson and hopefully she will cooperate in the next photo sessions (if there would be any). I have one more month for her birthday. I feel sad because I feel like she is not a baby anymore. One more year and she would be a toddler! Oh no! I don't think I'm prepared for that yet. I will just make the most of the next few months. Treat her like a baby and savor the moments until she reach the "terrible two" stage.

I found a very nice website the other day while browsing about some steam cleaner. This website writes about being a simple mom from household tasks to being a Mom and a wife.

She had this article at Simple Mom that really caught my attention. She wrote about productivity and quality down time which go hand in hand. I juggle work and mommy duties everyday, not to mention wifely duties too.

So sometimes when I have a down time or I usually call "me time", I don't know what to do with it anymore! This article is a great reminder to have that "me time" all the time and she even suggested a few things that we can do.

• take a nap

• call an old friend, and just catch up – and don’t do anything else while you’re on the phone

• read an enjoyable book you’ve been meaning to read

• take a bubble bath after the kids are in bed

• watch a movie with your spouse, and don’t work on anything else (this is a tough one for me… I hate just sitting there)

• grab coffee with a girlfriend

• read some blogs

• head to a bookstore-with-coffee-shop and browse just for fun

• cultivate a new craft – learn how to knit or dance for the heck of it

• snuggle on the couch with your spouse and reminisce about when you were dating

• make a cup of tea, sit out on your porch, and just… sit

• go on a leisurely walk, either alone or with your family – and go nowhere in particular

They are very practical and doable too especially for a Mom like me who works from home. I like almost all of her suggestions, especially item number 1. LOL!

She is right when she wrote that we, Moms, need time for ourselves in order to regain energy and prevent burn out. If we don't do this, anything can happen and we don't want to wait for that.

As for her preferring single tasking than multi-tasking, I think she got a point there. Maybe I should try that one of these days.

How about you? Do you know how to do the art of doing nothing?

For the rest of the article, click here.

I was browsing over my phone yesterday when I saw these photos. Before I would think that the girls don't really look alike but look at their photos!

Would you know which photo is Ate A's and which one is Baby A's? They are quite similar right? The first photo is Ate A's taken when she was 9 months old. The second is Baby A's taken when she was also 9 months old. I wonder if they would still look similar when they both grow up. Anyway, did you notice my photos too? I feel like I've aged for the last 3 years. I haven't been taking good care of my skin particularly the acne skin care so no wonder my skin is breaking out every now and then. I hope I find the time and effort to do that one of these days.

Happiness is...

1. Family and friends were safe from the typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng.
2. Ken Follett's World Without End. This book makes my day!
3. Watching Andie sleeping. Such an angel!
4. Red Ribbon's Mocha Roll (yum!)
5. Loving and Supportive Hubby.
6. Shopping at 168 Mall
7. Nap after work with Ate Alex
8. Kate Spade Hibiscus Bag (love it to bits!)
9. My friend Ercs is giving birth today! (We are praying for you, ercs!)
10. Videoke night tonight! :D

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

This is World Without End book by Ken Follett. I love this book. The sequel to my favorite - Pillars of the Earth. He wrote this after Pillars was published 18 years ago. Although I've read only almost half of it but I can't put it down! I tell you, this is a very thick book but I don't mind because I'm really enjoying it. Looking forward to more and I can't wait to find out what will happen to the characters.

For the reviews of this book, you can check Ken Follett's website.

...for our upcoming family vacation that is. It is still going to be in the next few months but I'm already thinking of what to wear. LOL! You see, it's going to be winter during that time of the year so I need to plan our outfits. I had other options actually since I really don't want to go to a cold country in January. I was even thinking of going to Riviera Maya to explore their beaches with white sand and crystal clear water. But Ate A had different ideas in mind. She wants to meet Mickey Mouse, of course! Hmmm...Maybe I will just re-schedule that trip to Riviera Maya and it can be our third (or fourth?) honeymoon.

I realized just the other day that Andie's first birthday party is already in a month or so. My! That's when panic mode sets in. Although I was able to contact a few suppliers months ago, I still can't believe that I only have a month to prepare.

So far here is my list of things I have done for the party.

- Paid downpayment for the following:

1. Cake
2. Photographer
3. Food Carts/Caterer
4. Inflatables/Carousel
5. Magician
6. Venue

- Bought prizes, giveaways, and table centerpieces
- Scheduled fitting for the outfits
- Bought balloons online (thanks to Peachy!)
- Sent the Save the Date to family and friends. Check it out.



Here are things that I need to do for the next few weeks.

- Finalize guest list
- Studio Photos for the invite
- Buy candies or cookies for the give-aways
- Thank you card (need to scrap this!)
- Go to Baby Fashionistas' office this weekend
- Buy balloon burst prizes
- Give out invites

I realized that I've done a couple of things already and it seems like I'm not going to cram after all.

Yes, that's hubby! He was chosen to be the story teller of the day. This will be at Ate A's school on Monday, October 12, 2009 at 9:30AM. We didn't have a story in mind so Ate A's teacher chose the story for Hubby. It's about A Lot of Dads in the World. I'm sure it's going to be fun, fun, fun! (*grin*)

I came across a very helpful article yesterday about investing in US gold coins. It is actually about Rakesh Ojha, a rookie investor, who is confused if he will investing in gold this year. This article focuses on gold coins and particularly for investors buy gold. I don't have that much knowledge in investment particularly gold coins but this article has given me a lot of feedback and a lot of things to do.

One particular question is, is it right to invest in US gold coins this year? Rakesh Bansal of SMC, an investment solutions & services firm based out of Delhi had a lot to say about this issue about investing in gold. He said that gold is the safest way to invest. He mentioned that stock market had crashed, property markets are about to crash but gold will not. The liquidity is also not an issue with gold. Meaning you can sell gold without any problems and it can be converted to cash anytime. Well for now, he said. But if the dollar will weaken, gold value will weaken too. So Mr. Bansal said that it is best to be sure and be aware that it might crash in the next six months considering the value of the Dollar.

He suggested a few things about this issue. Best to buy gold in banks. He believes that most banks offer gold bars in 5-gram and 10-gram gold bars. Wit this you can be assured of the good quality as well as the right quantity of the gold that you are purchasing. He also suggested that if you are not interested in buying gold, you can invest in a gold exchange traded fund. I have read that this product allows investors to buy and sell gold ETFs just like shares.

Bottomline here is that it is really up to you to decide. I realized that investing is really a risk. There is no right way to do and no right time. But I believe that it will help if you know what you are doing and what you are going to buy to lessen the high percentage of losing. And probably increase the percentage of earning.

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
- Shopaholic Ties the Knot (thanks to Joy!)
- World without End by Ken Follet

What movies and/or TV shows did I watch this month?
- Slumdog Millionaire
- Tinkerbell Movie

What special days did I celebrate and how?
- My birthday!
- Mom's birthday

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
- I got all the gifts I wanted :D

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
- Colds for me
- Cough and colds for the girls

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
- Mom, sister, and I went to Jakarta and Bali, Indonesia
- I went to Malaybalay to open a small shop with my Tita
- Booked our tickets for our trip to HK Disneyland. It could have been Disney World Florida but we don't have the budget yet even if we opt for cheap orlando hotels. Hopefully in 3 years.

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
- Indonesian and Balinese food. We love, love it!
- Cafe Mary Grace in Serendra
- went to 168 mall with Mom to shop!

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
- A lot of stuff for our store in the province
- Stuff for Andie's first birthday party

What were this month's disappointments?
- Typhoon Ondoy in Manila :( I hope everyone is safe now.

What were my accomplishments this month?
- We got home safely after being stranded for 10 hours. Thank God for that!