Mommy Moments: Wall Art

During the summer, Faber-Castell offered a one-day art workshop for kids in our subdivision. Naturally, stage mom in me signed up the kulitog girl knowing how she loves art making. 

Day of the workshop and, oh my, you should see the number of kids that trooped to the clubhouse. Kids ages ranged from 3 to I think 15 years old. 

One activity was to design a sarimanok drawing. Mind you, design and not color . 

At the end of the activity, my little girl's work got chosen among the throngs of children's work! Yipee :)

There were 5 of them who won but she was the youngest (2 being 7-10 yrs old and the other 2 teeny boppers na). She brought home art stuff from Faber-Castell and a few coupons which we used to buy her school requirements. 

When his Daddy and I got home, we saw her work and was amazed at how she can create such an intricate piece and thought, this work is definitely frame and wall art-worthy. It now hangs proudly on our living room wall :)

Another latest addition to our 'wall of fame' is Sam's recent award in summer class that I framed together with his very first smiley face. Don't under estimate the smiley face, it's very versatile. Just add 8 legs and it becomes a spider; add 2 long ears and...taddah!... you got a bunny. Add a bunch of curly hair and he got daddy's face. See how powerful the smiley face is? 

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Travel: Shangri-la Boracay Resort and Spa

Ten Things to Love About Shangri-la Boracay:

While hubby was here for work, I came along to give him moral support, be his plantsadora (which I enjoy doing, by the way), his tagabili sa D'Mall (because his schedule was jampacked) and as my Spanish teacher in college would say Compañero de Cama. Haha!
This plan was so last minute but who doesn't love a spontaneous getaway once in a while?
Let's say, it's also a post Mother's Day gift. So here's a rundown of what I love about the place which I tried to sum up in one post. Happy reading! :)

1. A welcome fit for a princess (or a prince for that matter):

Staff of Shangri-la Boracay were waiting by the luggage area of Caticlan airport and immediately scouted their guests among the people arriving. Hotel's guests were guided to the service van.

Once we reached Caticlan port, we were whisked into their lounge with a refreshing dalandan drink and warm wet towels as we waited for our boat ride to the resort. Talk about service deluxe :)

Check out our ride. Diwata 2. Oh la la! :)

2. The Deluxe Room. 
You have everything you need to feel at home: a super comfy and soft bed big enough for two, a mini office,  WIFI and broadband connection, Ipod dock and DVD player.

My suitcase got settled in with me...:)

As I stood by the entrance of our room, this inviting tub seem to call and say 'have a dip'

The flatscreen TV was used only to watched AI (by me) and NBA Live (by hubby). Why watch TV when nature is waiting to be enjoyed? Tama!

Siyempre, di ko pinalagpas ang fresh mangoes. Complimentary fruits and water were replenished by request. 

Now, off to the bath area 

Double sink please :)

L'Occitane toiletries. Sosyal!

Shower area and bath tub

And one of my fave spot, veranda. Sa totoo lang nakatulog ako dito without a care in the world! Pagod effect!

3. Be a Beach Bum

Enjoyed Banyugan beach and worked out that tan (super effort ito 'cause I don't easily get a tan, alien ata ako). The beach is so clean as compared to the main boracay area. Staff are quick to provide you with fresh towels either in pool or beach area.

emoterang frog

Lucky me, they offered a buy one take one on cocktails at Alon bar on our second day there. I ordered a piña colada and margarita. Cheers! :)

4. Enjoy Nature to the Fullest

Since I got all the time in my hands and left on my own device, napag-tripan ko ang waves. Goal was to get the perfect shot. Mahirap pala so tinigilan ko na after more than a dozen tries. After a while, I saw a guy doing the same, I hope he got a good shot.

Another thing to do: wait for the sun to set and capture the most picturesque memory nature can give. Boracay sunset is one magnificent view to marvel.

5. Swim like there's no tomorrow. 

Oh di ba, inabutan na ko ng gabi. The pool area is open until 7pm.

This view was so mesmerizing!

 6. Be Like a Child Again 

...and enjoy their recreation area with free use of internet, Sony Wii, arcade, videoke and other games. And yes, if you have kids in tow, they have babysitting services while moms and dads relax. This place is really a perfect family vacation spot. 

7. Eat, Eat and Eat. 'Nuf said.

The Sirena and Solana restaurants are just two of the options

The Alon bar is my fave so far, try their sandwhich, pizza and cocktails

Breakfast in Shangri-la makes the phrase 'eat,eat and eat' an understatement. I lost count of how many bacon strips and roasted salmon I ate. I can live here forever! :)

My first plate and the rest is...history.

My own coffee pot

How cute is this? Peeked through the kids' buffet table (they got yummy yummy treats) and found this 

Yoda-shaped pancake :)

8. Enjoy the Boracay Main Beach Nightlife
The resort offers an hourly service ride to Boracay main with D'mall as the pickup and drop off point. By nightime the shuttle service is available every 30 minutes until 1am. How convenient is that?

Watched the fire dancers do their thang!

Went to station 3 market where the good stuff is a lot cheaper than in D' Mall.

photo c/o hubby

Got a little nostalgic and visited Le Soleil Deparis where I stayed the last time I was in Bora, ordered drinks and a whole pizza (calorie loading talaga ako). Whad'ya know? Buy 1 take 1 on cocktails. AGAIN?! Yay!

There goes my double drink. I'm such a lucky girl :)

 

9. Finally Finish Reading a Book 
This is what used to enjoy best but somehow never got the time to do since I became a mom, reading books. I still buy them but never got to finish one. This was the perfect time to read and relax.
Ok, seryoso mode muna. Although I promised myself that I will release all my worries and just relax in this paradise, I also found this time to reflect on my life as a mother, my career, my goals for myself and my family. I had somehow taken the opportunity to sit down and re-assess where I am now and if am I going as planned. All the time, I was thanking Him for bringing so much blessing into our lives. I had a heart to heart to with Him, something we haven't done for quite some time now.
As a parent, ME time is really important to get a grip on life because family life can be overwhelming. After this trip, I had so much realizations and plans for the future.

a book and a P150 hat from Bora 

10. Go Home With a Renewed Feeling
It was I would say a perfect vacay for a super-stressed me. Kung pahinga lang ang pinag-uusapan, tinodo ko na dito. By the time I got to Manila, I was super ready again for the hectic life. Bring it on, I say.

Uh, and yeah, they really brought out the guns. I think I need another one of these ultimate R&R...]

one of the few photos taken with hubby

Until my next post! :)

Recipe Share: Cheesy Ensaymada

Before I start off with the recipe, I just want to share how totally lucky I am to have come across this recipe book. Yummy Bake Give, Sell! cook book is just a great addition to my collection and so far the kulitogs and I have tried about 4 recipes. Our fave is S'mores Cupcakes, so choco and moist.
The cookbook is available in bookstores and grocery stores.

For this post, I'm gonna share the cheesy ensaymada recipe. Warning: the recipe requires a lot of patience and muscle work from y'all. Mala panadero ang emote with all the pounding and kneading.

Here it is, enjoy baking!

Cheesy Ensaymada:
baking time: 30 minutes
prep time: 4 to 5 hours

Ingredients:
3/4 cup water
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
41/2 cups sifted all purpose flour
1/2 cup grated cheese
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp instant dry yeast
1 tbsp full cream milk powder
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted and cooled unsalted butter
1/2 cup softened butted

For the Topping:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
grated queso de bola (uhm, you can make this recipe after Christmas. Surely you have left over queso de bola by then or you can use boxed cheddar cheese instead)

1. combine water and honey
2. In a bowl, blend salt with flour and cheese. Add honey mixture, yeast. milk powder, egg yolks, sugar and melted butter. Mix at low speed for 5 minutes. Knead until smooth. - I've seen some bakers on TV who doesn't use mixers in baking, just manual mixing and it works as well with a little more patience.
3. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover and let rise for 11/2 hours, or until dough has risen.

Before

After

 4. Roll out each dough into rectangle and brush with softened butter. Roll on the long side into a cylinder then twirl into a coil. Tuck the end at the bottom and place on a greased baking tray or ensaymada molder.
5. Cover and let rise until double the size. - this part is fun to watch especially for first time bread bakers
6. Preheat oven to 350degreesF and bake the ensaymada for 15 to 20 minutes.
7. For the topping: beat the butter with sugar until fluffy. Spread on top of baked ensaymada and sprinkle with cheese.

 

This recipe makes about 17 yummy and fluffy ensaymada :)

The Friday Shoes

The whole family trooped to the mall on a weekend before school starts for most of the students (my little student starts school on the 13th of June) so imagine the chaos in the department store.

Our goal was to find the kulitog ate a pair of black shoes and her rubber shoes. Finding the everyday black shoes was easy, we just bought from the same brand as last year since it has proven its durability on my daughter's feet. She got the reputation of tearing down a new pair of shoes in just a few weeks. If only those shoes could talk!

As we were looking for her rubber shoes, she asked me in almost a whisper: ' Mommy, what about my Friday shoes?'

'What are Friday shoes?' I asked, totally clueless.

The little girl explained, 'Shoes I wear every Friday when we don't wear uniform.' Ohhh, for the wash day, now I remember. The yaya explained that everyday during school days she looked forward to Friday because that's the 'porma' day. She can be as kikay as she wants and so the Friday shoes are important.

Then I said, ' Ok, you have to choose - rubber shoes or Friday shoes? We can't buy both because we only have budget for one more footwear.' She chose the Friday shoes and bought a jewel-encrusted, t-strapped sandals the color of the sea. It was so pretty I wanted one for myself.

As for the kulitog boy, no matter what pair of shoes we offered him he refused. He was just happy running around, joining in the chaos in the mall :)

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