Random Thoughts

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
- Panic by Lauren Oliver
- Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
- The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand
- [Maddox Brothers] - 1.0 Beautiful Oblivion by Jamie McGuire
- [Maddox Brothers] - 2.0 Beautiful Redemption by Jamie McGuire
- Hopeless Vows by Rachael Duncan
- The Unwind by Neal Shusterman
- Currently Reading: You are Here by Jennifer E. Smith

What movies and/or TV shows did I watch this month?
- Moana
- Beauty and the Beast ♥♥♥

What special days did I celebrate and how?
- Our little girl's Birthday! ♥
- Start of Summer Vacation!
- Grade school Graduation

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
- Flu-like and Sore Throat

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
- Went malling one or two weekends this month
- We had Dinner Fellowship with our household at Xi Tian Di
- Met up with College Friends at the Beech
- Watched Beauty and the Beast then ate dinner after with family
- The kids had playdate this month with their BFF
- Dinner with Family to celebrate Birthday and Grad

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
- Genki Sushi
- Xi Tian Di
- YvanNavy Flame Grilled Burgers
- The Beech
- Yayoi

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
- I bought a pair of Gaucho Pants from Uniqlo. ♥
- Bought coin purses for gifts to friends

What have you learned this month?

Ok, now that I've started blogging about remembering my little girl's 7th birthday, I can't help but start a post again, this time about the table centerpieces that Hubby made for the party. Since it was a "Camp Rock" themed birthday party, we decided that instead of table numbers, we made it "musical instruments" table. Now it made the party even more interesting!

So, the "instruments" table were the following...

The maraccas table.

The grand piano table.


 And, look at the "guitar table" at the far side of this photo...


There are other more tables (but didn't get a photo of all of them, too bad!) but, there was so much like a musicians friend cymbals' table too.

I love that the theme is just perfect for my family because we all LOVE MUSIC so much! My husband (as I keep on blogging about him and his music) loves to play several instruments. I'm pretty sure he will be exploring those cymbals that we even found online soon! The eldest plays the piano, while the youngest is planning on taking guitar lessons this summer. As for me, well, I love listening to them play and listening to beautiful songs as well.

I'm glad that summer is here. It is the perfect time to catch up on their lessons on musical instruments. I can't wait to hear them play again, soon!

Yey, yey, yey!

So, I'm posting my kid's latest flip flops.

This symbolizes summer for me. It is what they will wear for the beach, our adventures out of the city, or just spending time at home. Flipflops are my fave. And so are my kids'!

How about you? What is your summer's symbol or reminder? Would love to hear from you! (*wink*)

Happiness is...

1. Happy and Relaxing Weekend
2. Razon's Halo Halo on a hot day. Yum!
3. Planning for our 2017 Summer Weekends and Getaways
4. Kids' Playdate ♥
5. Future Projects
6. Extra Tasks
7. Travel Planning
8. Dreams ♥
9. Never ending blessings
10. Gift of Friends

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

I'm sure you would notice by now that we always celebrate Family Days every month. This time, it was a sumptuous buffet lunch with family and friends.

Oooh, look at the salad...

As a health conscious convert, this part was my favorite among all the other food in the buffet.

But, for the Hubby who loves dessert so much, this one is his favorite...


And look, Hubby and I right before the lunch started...



FUN, FUN, FUN day with family and friends! Looking forward to more! (*wink*)

Oh, here's another favorite! ♥♥♥

Ed Sheeran's songs are definitely something!

I remember it so clearly, our eldest's 7th birthday was all about music. Yes, she loves to sing and dance and now that she's older, she loves to play the piano. But back when she turns 7, she requested that her birthday would be a "Camp Rock" themed. Yes, she loves that movie so much!

Here are some proof that she enjoyed her party...

The father and daughter program, the Dad played the guitar, while the daughter sang her favorite song from the movie, Camp Rock.


The little girl was so happy to sing with her Dad.


You can truly see it in her face, right? Yes!

And now, we are looking at a different musical instrument which are the roland v drums at guitarcenter.com. This time, it is for the second kid who wants to learn how to play the drums.

Hmmmm... Would this push through? I definitely think so! And I'm so, so happy that these kids end up loving music so much! So it looks like they got it from the Dad!? Oh, definitely! (*wink*)

Here's a very interesting article I came across online from SmartParenting.com.ph. I've read about different types of parenting types but this one made me think a lot... Read on parents...

Your Kids Should NOT Be the Most Important Members of the Family by Rachel Perez

Okay, why are kids not the most important members of the family? After all, they are the ones who need the most attention and care. According to psychologist and leading parenting expert John Rosemond, however, the one you need to prioritize the most is your relationship or marriage with your significant other.

"Many if not most of the problems [parents] are having with their kids...are a result of treating their children as if they, their marriage, and their family exist because of their kids when it is, in fact, the other way around," Rosemond wrote in a column for Naples Daily News and was also published in Arcamax.

"Their kids exist because of them, and their marriage and [their kids] thrive because they have created a stable family," he added. Kids wouldn't have met the basic needs -- food, clothing, and shelter, and even entertainment -- without their parents.

Rosemond, who says he grew up in a marriage-centric family as opposed to today's kid-centric homes, is just one of many family psychologists who is encouraging parents not to neglect their relationship after having kids. And it doesn't matter if the kids are toddlers or teenagers -- "husband and wife should pay more attention to one another than they do to their children," he wrote for The Hartford Courant.

A happy home is certainly a significant factor, among many others, that helps in raising healthy kids. Here are more reasons why you need to focus on your marriage:

1. Your kids become more independent.
"'Our child is the most important person in our family' is the first step toward raising a child who feels entitled. You don't want that. [Your child] doesn't need that," Rosemond says. You need to let the kids devise solutions to their problems and not hand them instant fixes. When you’re at your children’s beck and call, they cannot learn about life, and they will have difficulty coping.

A parent’s primary goal is to prepare a child for a fruitful and productive adult life, "to raise a child such that community and culture are strengthened," according to Rosemond. When you put your marriage and your husband first, you give your kids more room to be independent.


2. You spend less time trying to be the perfect parent.
Sometimes it feels like a "good mom" today is synonymous with being too busy to have time for her spouse or herself. “She never stops thinking about and doing for her kids,” says Rosemond. So she often finds herself exhausted, anxious and stressed.

Family coach David Code writes in his best-selling book To Raise Happy Kids, Put Your Marriage First that the biggest myth of modern parenting is that the more attention we give to our kids, the better they’ll turn out. In fact, it has been said time and time again that making time for your partner and your self is crucial for your happiness, too!

3. Your kids have role models in their parents’ union.
Chary Mercado writes in an article for SmartParenting.com.ph that the most important rule for raising happy and successful children is to ‘love your spouse.’ Putting too much focus on the kids and none for your spouse makes your marriage more at risk for falling apart. And when that happens, it’s the kids who bear the big chunk of the negative effects.

When the kids see how their parents love one another, how they argue with one another -- hopefully it’s the proper way -- and how they work together to resolve things, these are what your kids will look for in their future romantic relationships. They also learn to show appreciation for people they love.

4. You teach your kids to respect others and themselves.
Sons learn how to respect women from how their fathers treat their mothers; daughters learn how to act in the company of the opposite sex in how her mother asserts herself and will not tolerate those who don’t measure to their dads. When your kids see you being affectionate to each other, it teaches them how to be expressive, thoughtful, and generous.

"Witnessing their parents tend to one another’s needs every once in a while just might instill some patience and compassion. I don’t see how that is selfish. In fact, it sounds like pretty stellar parenting to me," writes teacher and mom of three Stephanie Jankowski in her When Crazy Meets Exhaustion.

Again, putting your husband first then your kids does not mean adopting a devil-may-care attitude. “Valuing our spouses, loving our children, and finding time for ourselves can all co-exist within a healthy marriage and happy family,” says Jankowski.

Sometimes, the little stuff works fine -- make his coffee. Say 'I love you,' hold hands, and hug in front of the kids, take walks together. Prioritizing your marriage doesn’t mean you ignore your children’s needs. It’s a careful balancing act: being a wife first, then a mom, and also being your own person in between.

For the entire article, click here.

...and I'm talking about Wisdomantics here!

This is from Mr. Henry Hurley.

Yes folks! That's another great feedback from a gamer of Wisdomantics (my favorite game right now!). I love that he said that families will love to play this game. Yes that is true because my kids are hooked. As a Mom I love that they get to learn a lot by playing this game too.

If you haven't read my posts about my favorite game, here's a little description of what it does...

Wisdomantics is a fun game for players which allows them to gain the wisdom of King Solomon.

This game combines 400 multiple choice quotes from the book of Proverbs, and a state-of-the-art interactive board game. Players may select questions from the New King James Version and New International Version. The iPad and tablet users will also enjoy board game illustrations that chronicle the life of Solomon. The user-friendly programming removes the guess work and blends chance, knowledge, and strategy. The first player to build Solomon’s temple wins!

Interested? Download my favorite game, Wisdomantics, NOW... And don't forget to spread the word, peeps!

For iphone users...


For Android users...


Enjoy the game and let me know what you think! (*wink*)(*wink*)

As promised, here's the second part of my family's grand reunion last 2016. For the day, we dressed up as cowboys and cowgirls. Yeeeehaaaaaw!

That's me!


And look, with the Hubby...



And with my cousins and Aunts and Uncles...


Now, it's time for the foodie... Here's the table centerpiece...


And the dessert table, yes, WOW!



Here's the highlight of our reunion lunch... These steaks are awesome!


And look what we did after our sumptuous lunch...


And here's the whole clan as a final photo.


Awww, will miss this bunch so much. Hope we could see them again in the next few years. ♥♥♥

Happiness is...

1. Fun, fun weekend!
2. The Beauty and the Beast movie. Love eeeet!
3. Chat with Siblings
4. Kids
5. Long naps
6. Freshly Brewed Coffee
7. Beautiful PFO Talk
8. Households
9. Summer is almost heeeeeeere!
10. Future Trips

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

Last year just before the summer vacation ended, we went home all the way to our province to celebrate our first ever grand reunion with the whole clan! The kids and adults had so much fun!

And look, thanks to my dear sister, I was made up for a little bit for this special occassion.

And look, as I've mentioned, the kids had a grand time meeting their second cousins for the first time!


And dance lessons from Dance Instructors? Why NOT?


Aaaaah, beautiful, beautiful evening with friends and family. Here we are, the whole clan!


Watch out for our second grand reunion and this time we were at a RANCH! (*wink*)

On our second day in Punta Fuego guess what we did? Yes, we checked out the beach!

We stayed for a couple of hours and then transferred to the wonderful pool since the kids wanted to transfer!


And look at this Beautiful, beautiful view! ♥♥♥


Here's more...



And look, we brought home a souvenir!


Oh I'm definitely going to miss this place!

Last summer (2016), another highlight was our quick getaway to Punta Fuego. We met up with friends and their families so we ALL really had a grand time!

Of course with the weather and the heat, the kids immediately jumped in the pool.


They were ecstatic!

And we, the adults enjoyed this beautiful view.



And look at our sunset shots, do you think this is a beauty?



It DEFINITELY was one of the BEST!

The highlight of our weekend is the kids' soccer training...

The weather may be a little hot but they sure had fun under the sun!


The kids were soo tired but the physical training that they endured sure were worth it!


Looking forward to another soccer training soon? Oh YES!