Mommy Moments - Mommy's Fave Photos

For Mommy Moments, I'm sharing my fave photos of all time. 

I'm into photography and SLRs have a soft spot in me. These first two photos are one of my fave since they were taken using a consumer film-based camera a long time ago, nothing fancy about the gadget. Plus, I wasn't able to immediately see what I took until I saw the prints and I love how these turned out. 

 Another set of photos I love were taken during my wedding. It's a rare moment that we have a family photo so I love this photo because it's one of those rare moments.
I also adore candid shots that's why I chose John Ong of Imaginenation to take our wedding photos and he's simply the best!

Another of my fave photos, with my family. This photo shows the fun side in us :)

And this one is a classic, I still vividly remember this moment when Sophie was so worried that his brother was bathing in the sun because he is uncomfortable. Sam was only 1 week old here and Ate was quick to run to his brother's side when he as much as coo.

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Halloween Costumes: Plan B

Okay, we are having a slight change of plans with the little tots’ Halloween costume. We have a strong feeling that maybe, no, probably the little boy will not wear the Spiderman costume after all. Hmmp! After all the hassle of meeting up with the seller! Buti na lang mura lang.

So the project manager mom thought of plan B as soon as I realized that he will never put even his finger into the spidey costume. Plan B is the Thomas costume he’s been googling over in the Toy Kingdom magazine.

I knew it will require more work than just meeting the seller ang paying for it. It will have to be done from scratch since 1) it’s too expensive to buy one or 2) the one that’s available doesn’t even look like Thomas. The little boy, at 2 yrs old, knows the Thomas and Friends trains by heart (well, those who are famous) down to their coaches. Yeah, he’s that addicted. Most days, he's a train. Pretending that his index finger is an engine wiper and  always making the choo!choo! sound while running around his pretend train tracks :)

Back to the costume, so here’s our Thomas costume done over the weekend. And yeah, Sam already wants to put it on even halfway through the production.

Two empty boxes taped together to form the frame. The box with the bottom intact is where all the treats will go :)

the little boy mixing his acrylic paint

Buti na lang praktisado si Ate Sophie sa painting

my handy helpers, more than willing to assist

After doing all the detailed work on the face and body (like half the day!), I now present our Thomas  train costume. Thank you to all the Thomas trains in the house, I have so many pegs on what it should look like. All it needs are the wheels, whistle and straps and it's ready to go!

Weird/Funny Food Names

For GT topic of food, I have two weird names to share. One is Laswa (pronounced as Las-wah, may lambot sa dulo wahh). Yeah, it's weird right? It's actually an Ilonggo dish that's like a stew of vegetable like alokbati, talong, okra (the slimier the better) and kalabasa. Instead of salt, we put danggit or bagoong (shrimp paste) to season the dish. I'm personally not fond of this dish growing up but my mom says it's nutritious so we have to eat up :(

http://www.cooks-recipe.com/2010/08/laswa-recipe.html

Another weird name that we concocted at home is Palag, short for Palagpat which means tsamba or pure luck. When we cook something at home that's has no name and created from experimenting on recipes, it's initially titled Palag. We invent the name probably the second time na because cooking it the second time means it was a hit the first time so it deserves to have a name already :)

More GT stories here: 

Today's Mommy Moments talks about Mommy's Fave Products. I have a few to mention and these products I have been before I even became a mom:

1. Maya baking products - flour, cornstarch, brownie mix, cake mix, pancake mix. Name it, Maya got it. I'm a cooking addict and have been learning dishes since I was 10 yrs. old (i'm glad both my kids are interested in cooking at their age now) so these products I have tried and tested for years. It just never fail me.

2. Dove and Ivory - these are the only products I use on my kids. I don't use the other children's product because it has Paraben and other chemicals that are harsh to kids. My little boy had several skin allergy attacks when he was a baby so his pediatrician advised to switch to gentler soaps like Dove. Good thing, he outgrew the allergy when he turned one. I never switched to any soap product after that.

3. Human Nature products - this is the end all of all products! It's organic, safe and has a wide range in their selection. Definitely no paraben, phthalates, PEGs in there. I currently use them for my kids (shampoo, insect repellent, hand sanitizer, etc.) My husband is addicted to the smell of citrus burst Hand Sanitizer. Go organic! :)

4. Vinegar and baking soda- these are miracle makers and natural at that! They clean the stains in your kitchen, bathroom, walls, etc. etc.  Baking soda is a perfect odor deodorizer .

As you can see, I try to go with natural as much as I can. A friend asked me once I hope I was able to share some tips to all the moms out there :)

 

Halloween Costumes

Halloween is just around the corner and kids (and adults) will be partying left and right. For this year, I convinced Sophie to be go as a flapper girl. She originally wanted to be Belle but that would mean buying her the gown which is kinda pricey for the frugal mom. I showed her a photo of a flapper girl with the net stockings and red lipstick and she immediately bought the idea. She forgot all about the princess costume :)

Did a little canvass of what I need to buy for her costume and it will be silver or beige tassle/fringe (P29 per yard, i'll need around 21/2 yrds.), feather (P49 per piece) and stockings. I could add elbow gloves for more drama. I'll just sew the fringe on her old sequined dress and bring out her heirloom pearl necklace from her great grandma. Voila, a costume fit for a kikay :)

http://halloween.become.com/kids-halloween-costumes/Kids-Flapper-Costume.html

My little boy Sam is going out as Spiderman. Found a cute Spidey costume in Sulit.com for a really cool price and it will be delivered tomorrow.

http://www.halloweencostume.com/boy-spiderman-comic-costume.html

I'm so excited for Halloween! We're already starting out on the house decor since Sophie's classmates will be visiting for the trick or treat. Meanwhile, I'm also thinking of a cool costume for mwah. What do you think of Lichtenstein Lady? Cool right? Just requires a lot of make up :)

http://www.laurenconrad.com/

See last year's Halloween experience here :)

Progressive School: Parent-Teacher One on One After Assessment Period

Guess what’s Sophie first spelled word is? ASIM! Haha! She spelled this without assistance from anyone J

I guess because Daddy kept on saying this word to her so she was able to syllabicate and spell it all by her lonesome.

I’m glad she added some more words to her list of spelled words the past weeks. She can now spell Janaki, Stephen, Samuel, Lolo, Lola, ball, mat, rat, mop and all other 4-5 letter words by just hearing them. She’s now a birthday card maker savvy after making birthday cards for all the celebrants in the family J

spelling with clay

During the recent Parent-Teacher one on one (which is done after their Student- Teacher assessment or the Trad school version of quarterly exam), her teacher Cath showed hubby and me how Sophie progressed in writing, reading and spelling by providing us compiled works of our little princess. Teacher Cath is also Sophie’s teacher for Reading Readiness summer class and she proudly told us that our Sophie has gone a long way from not being able to write her full name during their first meeting to now writing words and phrases during class! She also now writes legibly, very conscious of the lines. She also pointed out how very creative and family-oriented most of her artworks are. Always, telling stories about mom, dad and her little brother. She loves her little brother dearly.

One thing that Sophie’s teacher is still worried, though, is her promptness in doing the activities. She is a super OC (obsessive compulsive), doesn’t like her work to be messy so she makes sure no color will go beyond the lines. She’s also very creative; she doesn’t color one object with one color. It’s 2 or more colors per object. During break time, teacher said she also wants her table clean and lunch paraphernalia neatly arranged which takes time given the short break. Thus, she is sometimes behind especially since she prefers to bring rice and ulam as baon. So effort na ang preparation, effort pa ang pagkain. Her teacher recalled one experience when she prompted Sophie to finish her work so she can join outside play (the PE version of Kinder class). The little girl hurriedly colored her work making some lampas-lampas coloring and teacher recalled, ‘Mommy, nakita ko talaga yung frustration niya na hindi maganda yung work niya. But I just need to prompt her because she will miss outside play again.’ I assume she will always give up outside play for art activities. How do I handle this?

Right now, we just prepare her sandwich or light snacks for school. Yesterday, it’s hotdog shaped as cherries and triangle-shaped eggs J I always include biscuits and fruits since she has a big appetite and easily gets hungry without rice. So far, she not behind but helper says that she immediately asks for rice once home.
Her yaya also taught her to color with crayon flat (not using the tip) so she will color big pictures faster. Somehow she is improving on speed but I hope this will keep up. 

My New Project : Entry # 2

Because of my schedule this month, I am unable to attend my weekday aero class. So I try to compensate with reduced dinner. Uh, no it's not easy but I have to deal with that to get to my goal. I try to eat dinner without the rice and if my EQ is low and can't resist rice, I try to eat only 2 tablespoons of rice. 

When I weighed myself this morning, I lost 2lbs. Yay! Although I'm not yet close to my target weight but I'm happy to say that I am somehow reconnected with my waistline :) Yeah, I couldn't figure out where it went for the longest time but now it's back! Next target, the post pregnancy belly... I'm so looking forward to weekend aero :)

Mommy Moments - Mommy's Hobby

Husband was wondering why I haven't blogged about my new toy. Simple, busyness ang lola for weeks now :( 

Here it is, my new toy! :) An Electrolux gas range with oven, the one I've been eyeing to buy for months now. 

What's even winner about this is that I got it through an auction. I joined a sealed bidding for slightly used appliances and other kitchen gadgets from a cooking show and won. I got this baby for less than half the original price. Winner talaga! (got a sizzler and chopping board, too, from the auction)

My first ever baked dish using my oven - Lasagna made with ground beef and pork, bechamel sauce and mozarella cheese. Topped with fresh basil leaves from our garden. Yum!

Cooking/baking is a hobby I am most passionate about. I love to experiment new recipes, follow recipes from a cookbook and give it a personal touch. Cooking also helps me loosen up those tightened nerves after a stressful week at work. You'll know when I'm stressed, I cook and bake and cook and make everyone at home fat haha! :)

Linking this post to Mommy Moments.

 

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Mommy Moments - Parenting Tip

I only have one major parenting tip I'm sharing to Mommy Moments. 

Love and faith in God.

If children have this, they will never go wrong in life. I always pray for my kids to grow up with fear for that all seeing, all knowing God so that when they make decisions or actions, they know that they is a greater being out there watching and guiding them. Fear for the Lord makes people be conscientious, careful not to hurt others. Also, it is important that they are not really deserted when they feel alone and that will comfort them especially in times of trouble.

We parents will not be here forever for our children but when our children know that the Father is there all the time, they will never feel alone and they will always be inspired to do good.

That my share for this week's MM. Care to visit also my entry to learn about parenting styles?: http://janakidiary.blogspot.com/2011/08/types-of-parenting-styles.html