My New Baby Is Finally Out!

Where have I been the past weeks? I've been going through labor the past months and am I just relieved that it’s finally out! It’s the new News Channel of GMA Network – GMA NewsTV.!

It’s no joke launching a new channel. I’ve done it before for QTV but this one, having a totally new character of it’s own, is a different challenge. Months of labor, sleepless nights and long hours and today it is officially on air. Whew!

This morning I woke up very early to see it in action and as I watch Saksi Sa Dobol B on TV, there was a mixed feeling of pride, relief and continuous worry. I know we will go through some after birth pains for a couple more weeks as the new guy settles into a regular grind. That’s how it is for any new program or channel so the best we can do is assist and support each and every program any way possible.

I hope that you guys can support this new channel. For program schedule and other info, please visit this site and spread the word! : http://blogs.gmanews.tv/newstv/schedule/

 

Will update my blog soon. Promise! :)

Mommy Moments - Love Songs

For today's MM topic, it's love song for our kids. Without batting an eyelash, I can probably tell you my kids' fave nursery rhymes and kiddie songs, but love song? Hmmm... Maybe because my orientation is really towards rock music (sorry, I never got pass that era) that I'm not really a love song person. My husband, however, has one special song for his unica hija which is Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle. He would get all mushy when he hears this song. To tease him I would play this song during Sophie's milestones and birthdays and he'd get teary-eyed. Here's part of the song that I love:

There's two things I know for sure:
She was sent here from heaven and she's
daddy's little girl.
As I drop to my knees by her bed at night
She talks to Jesus and I close my eyes and
I thank god for all the joy in my life
Oh, but most of all
For butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer;
sticking little white flowers all up in her
hair; "Walk beside the pony, Daddy, it's my first ride."
"I know the cake looks funny, Daddy, but I sure tried."
In all that I've done wrong I know I must
have done something right to deserve a hug
every morning and butterfly kisses at night.

Sweet 16 today
She's looking like her mama a little more everyday
One part woman, the other part girl.
To perfume and make-up from ribbons and curls
Trying her wings out in a great big world.

But I remember
Butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer; sticking
little white flowers all up in her hair.
"You know how much I love you, Daddy, But if you
don't mind I'm only gonna kiss you on the cheek this time."
With all that I've done wrong I must have done
something right to deserve her love every morning
and butterfly kisses at night.

For Sam, my love song for him would have to be Barney I Love You song. I love how his face lights up when he hears this song and how he would hug me tightly and kiss me with gusto when it comes to that part of the song. I will cherish our Barney moments as long as my son appreciates it. Okay I'm gonna stop here before I get all mushy myself.

Happy MM mommies! :) 

Sophie is 4 now and I get all mushy again especially since she's going to start school soon. I just want to share this photo with her foot imprint done her first birthday. She had quite big feet for a baby so her foot kinda went beyond the plaster mold ( I should have done this when she was still younger).

Sophie's 4th Birthday

Sophie celebrated her 4th birthday last January 19. We had a simple celebration with her lolos and lolas, tita, tito and cousins. For her cake, I thought of either buying her a character cake of her choice as I do every year or make her a cake for a change. With her consent, I went for the latter. 

This is how her cake, er, dessert turned out. It has layers of all her favorite stuff, chocolate gelatin and chocolate bread layered alternately and topped with whipped cream and cherries. The best thing about this was that she helped me make the chocolate ganache, stirring patiently until we got the right consistency and taste. She's very helpful in the kitchen, the birthday girl was hands on during the preparation. She kept telling her lolas (grandmas) that she made her cake :)

made her cake and ate it too :)

The original plan for the day was to have a lunch picnic in La Mesa Ecopark but the weather was so unpredictable, thus, we decided to eat lunch at home and if the still weather permits, visit Ecopark in the afternoon. Luckily it didn't rain that day so off to the park we went. Entrance to the park is P50, P40 if you're a QC resident. Kids 3 feet below can get in for free. We got there around 5pm and was informed that Ecopark closes at 6pm. We were still allowed to go in only until before the sun sets since the park is not lighted. Surprisingly, the park is well visited by families and barkadas. There were some who were having their prenuptial photo shoot that day. 

It was such a fun experience especially since the kids enjoyed the tour so much. Sophie and Sam are scared to ride the back of a horse but they love this open kalesa (horse-driven carriage) ride. This ride is P50 per person just to go around the circle (will take you a minute or two). Quite pricey but I haggled for a discount since there are only 2 adults and the rest are kids. I think I already told you in my previous posts that I'm a mean haggler, hehe. 

With my mom, Sophie, Sam and their cousin Seth

going around the park on a cool day

view from the top. you can take the steps if you wish to take a look at the watershed

or go up this way which I took for more challenge (with 2 kids in tow)

hubby with my nephew in the background,  taken at the Petron ampitheater

Sam enjoyed jumping around the ampitheater. He didn't wanna go home anymore.

Ecopark boasts of different types of foliage although somehow I feel that it can have more improvement. Some facilities are no longer in existence like the butterfly garden probably for lack of funding. 

We promised to visit La Mesa Ecopark again soon since we found out it's just 10 mins away from our house. It's a nice place for a together time with the family. 

Mr. Pot Hold Still

My Watery Wednesday entry. A pot stays firm on his post as water continues to rush down on him. You also gotta give it to the limestone that keeps everybody in their place :)

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone ! 

Are You a Coffee Lover?

Yes we are. We love waking up to freshly brewed coffee in the morning. Stephen and I sometimes have no time to eat breakfast before heading off to work but, Stephen especially, just gotta have coffee in the morning.

The truth is I used to be a non-coffee drinker since nobody in my parents' house actually drink coffee. I got hooked to coffee when I got back to work after my maternity leave. Being sleep-deprived during Sophie's early months, I depend on coffee to keep me up while at work. I make sure I get a cup only each day, though, since too much caffeine can have an effect on breastfeeding babies. 

In Manila, we buy our ground coffee in Tiendesitas. We love Kalinga Gold Gourmet coffee, Cordillera coffee that's organically grown at an altitude of 4,000 to 5,000 feet. It's a combination of Arabica, Robusta and Excelsa. Kinda strong but if you put just the right amount when you brew, taste super rich and fabuloso. 

So when we went to Baguio, we just can't go home without buying coffee from the area. 

This is Kape Umali, located right in the middle of the market place just across the fish area and a few steps away from the pasalubong area. If you are a coffee lover like us, you will drool over the variety of coffee they offer. 

Stephen and the gang waited for the coffee to be grounded and packed tightly to keep it fresh. Nevertheless, coffee aroma lingered in our car while we were driving to Manila and even days after. 

This is Civet coffee, also known as Alamid coffee, kinda pricey at P3,200 per kilo (although it sells for $1000 per kilo in the International market). The vendor was urging me to buy but I said maybe next time. 

The other variety which we bought, Arabica Sagada and our fave Kalinga coffee. You will get 1 kilo for only P270.00. That price will only get you half a kilo in Manila.

Are You A Photo Booth Addict?

I'm a self-confessed photo booth addict. With this new craze getting so popular in parties, almost all parties we attended since two years ago have photo booth as their souvenir. We even had one in Sam's birthday. It's a fun, practical and innovative souvenir for parties. Fun because people of all ages enjoy posing, making funny faces and wearing different hats or accessories. Practical since you are not giving your guests some trinket or souvenir item that they can't really use, these photos they can keep for a long time.

Here are some photos I kept from different occasions:

at Arnie and April's wedding, with the groom

April and Arnie's wedding

at GMA's 60th Anniversary celebration

at an officemate's wedding

wedding again of a friend

during Sam's birthday

cousin in-law's wedding

Even Sophie and Sam are already at ease posing at photo booths. There are more photos of us taken from birthdays parties but I don't have the soft copy. Isn't photo booths really fun?