Summer So Far

At the beginning of summer, during Holy Week to be exact, my family of five trooped to Jeju Island with extended family and friends. After preparation for a much colder weather, we were set to enjoy our first international travel together. We were part of a group tour and visited lots of places, including the very pink Hello Kitty Island.

And then, we enrolled the three kids in swimming school. For ten days I prepared their things, we waited for their scheduled time, I hanged out for an hour watching them through clear glass, they showered after, we went home and they had snacks. Swimming makes them hungry.

My birthday also rolled around during this time. I celebrated it with my side of the family with a filling dinner, and this cake...

On my birthday more than a week ago, I penned a poem on the blog. Thanks to my family for this cake! http://www.cymplified.com/2016/today-is-my-day/

A photo posted by Cym M (@ceemee) on Apr 23, 2016 at 3:24am PDT

So, that's our summer so far. These days, we just stay at home, with me cleaning up some clutter. 

I hope we could go to on a local trip soon, one that is accessible from Manila. Do you have any suggestion?

My Melody Fair, a birthday party!

After a couple of few months of planning, my third baby's 1st birthday party is done at last!

I liked how Cherry Lim of Style Me Pretty interpreted the concept and transformed Oasis into a festive pink tent. I cannot get over how cute the candy buffet looked, even though I didn't have a single sweet treat that day because my throat hurt so much. Thank God He kept me well enough for Cayla's birthday party. I thought I would be absent! Haha!

Here is the little angel whose first year of life we were celebrating:

Dedicated to the Lord

Aside from having the works of a kiddie party like games, prizes and loot bags, we also have booths sourced from Style Me Pretty like:
Stickers Galore
DIY Cupcake
Nachos
Fried balls, and
Ice Scramble

Of course, we had a host to facilitate the games, and also entertainment from Pink Heaven like:
Balloon Twisting, and
Dog Show

Then our caterer was Tjioe, which received many compliments from the adults.

My eldest said she enjoyed the party and I'm glad!

Cayla's first birthday also marks a milestone in my breastfeeding journey. By God's grace, I have been exclusively nursing her for a year and counting when I thought I wouldn't last a week. That's another cause for celebration!

I really thank God for bestowing on us three wonderful blessings and everything that we need.

The Bad, The Good and The Ugly

The Bad.
When I thought that everything was already good to go, something goes wrong to cause stress. After all, the plan was simple. Around 11am was supposed to be baby Caleb's dedication, and afterwards, to the birthday lunch venue. No programs, no clowns, no etcetera.
But...

• The person from the parish office told me that my schedule was 9am and that the reverend had already left.
• The other pastor needed to attend some anniversary gathering and cannot substitute.
• He had lots of excuses when I have already called twice to confirm!
• He suggested we re-schedule.
• Then, we were a bit late for the lunch party. Guests were already waiting for us.
• I was reprimanded because there were more tables than guests.
• I was reprimanded for letting the nanny go on a day-off that day.

The Good.
In hindsight, even with the setbacks and the emotional rollercoaster that I have gone through, there were many things to be thankful to God for that day. Like...

• My hubby who talked with the person from the parish office.
• Accompanied by my friend who was bent on making the dedication happen, the person from the parish office had to make a way. Thanks, Beth!
• It didn't rain, praise God!
• My daughter Elle who looked so pretty as a little princess and she seemingly enjoyed the party playing with lots of kids.
• Aunts who were concerned about me and my children are blessings.
• Thankfully, Caleb did not cry at the sight of many people. Family and friends were able to carry him.
• I'm grateful for the guests who did attend and I think it was not right to worry over those who should have come.
• I was the one excited for Elle to open her gifts, teehee!

The Ugly.

• The grown person who was weeping: ME!

A Few Birthday Party Details

Less than a month to go until my precious daughter turns 4 years old. A princess-themed birthday cake is in order. When she turned three, she had a cake with several Disney princesses as cake toppers. This year, I plan to order a Barbie princess cake for her from Red Ribbon.



http://www.mymomfriday.com/2010/10/foodie-friday-red-ribbons-barbie.html



My daughter Elle just loves princesses so I will let her dress up as a princess on her joint birthday celebration with her baby brother. She already has a cute and shiny crown courtesy of her godmother Meg. What she needs is a princess-like dress from the girls clothing section in the department store, so, one of these days, we have to go shopping with her. I wonder what she'll choose. Most probably it will be pink and long, and would look like a dress for a flower girl at a wedding entourage.



http://child-adult-dressup.com/item-pics/childrens-pink-princess-costume.jpg



How about a costume? It will be only Elle wearing a costume, if ever, unless I specify that other girls wear costumes also. But, the party would not be a kiddie party type nor would it be fully princess-themed since it's a joint party. Therefore, it is not a practical choice for us.

Also, we have to find a suitable pair of shoes to go with a pink dress. A pair of white closed shoes is on my mind. Sometimes, it's easier and more fun for a mommy to plan what her little girl would wear.

I must not forget to also scout clothes for my soon-to-be one year old boy, red ones, I suppose.

On Birthdays

Starting a new year may be like starting our lives anew, but in my opinion, being able to celebrate our birthday is a blessing in itself that we have another chance at living. I am thankful for the people in my life who made me feel special, especially on my birthday. And I believe a birthday is not a birthday without cake. It's a tradition!

I already wrote on my other blog about how I celebrated my birthday. Mommy Moments for this week called for a birthday photo, but I just want to share a video where my daughter sang The Birthday Song for me, with the cake my hubby Rix bought for me.

I am starting to plan my two children's joint birthday party and my baby boy's baptism. So far, I have reserved the church for baptism. I am planning on getting a Barbie cake for my daughter. I need to decide where we will hold the reception. A simple Chinese style sit-down "pan-toh" lunch at a good restaurant is on our minds.

Thanks to my friends Meg and Jack, I got to try the Red Ribbon Chocolate Fudge Cake at last. They surprised me with this when they came and visited me here at home. It was so moist! I love the fudge icing so characteristic of chocolate cakes. Yummy indeed!

Turned Three

My precious daughter turned 3 yesterday. We didn't have a grand celebration, we didn't even have her blow out candles on a cake. Here's what we did:

• I woke her up early and  dressed her up in an outfit she chose. I needed to have my blood extracted for some tests, so we left without taking breakfast. While waiting for Angel's Town cafe to open, we bought some stuff from Mercury Drug Store. I let her choose sweets as a treat for her birthday. 

• We then went to Angel's Town Cafe for a nice breakfast. I guess we were the first customers. We were so hungry I forgot to take pictures of the meals we ordered, we had Chicken Tocino meal and Beef Tapa meal priced at PhP109 each, they come with coffee or iced tea and some veggies & atsara. The chicken was good, but the serving was small, it's not too sweet. The beef was a bit tough to cut with a spoon, and too chewy. It's a nice cafe here in our city, where you won't expect to find such a place in this industrial zone. It mostly caters to bank employees and customers in the area. In my opinion, the food there is affordable.

The interior of the cafe

Elle sipping her iced tea

Mango Panna cotta (PhP46) for dessert, it was yummy although the top was watery

• Then we visited her dad at work, we also brought him a Ham and Egg sandwich on white bread (PhP55). One can have the option of wheat bread, which costs a bit more. After that, we went home for lunch. 
• In the evening, while Elle was already asleep, Rix and I visited my friend who was confined in the hospital. On our way home, we fueled up our car at a Shell gas station. I saw a poster saying we could buy a Toy Story toy for PhP130. We bought Woody riding a train. We were supposed to buy Buzz also but it was out of stock. When we got home, Elle was up and looking sad, glad we had the toy to cheer her up.

Welcome him with a shower.

The last time I was pregnant with my firstborn, I didn't get to experience having a baby shower. Now that I am pregnant with my 2nd baby, I think I want to have one. Do you think it will be weird to organize one myself? Or pathetic even? Now that I know the gender of the baby in my belly, I am imagining the place to be in powder blue.

Here's a list of what I need:

• Decorations - some confetti , some balloons  , a garland , maybe a guestbook , a diaper cake and a centerpiece 
• Food & drinks- I know I cannot make my own, maybe I shall get a caterer. 
• Games - The first time I attended a baby shower, I joined a game where I drank soda from a baby bottle complete with a rubber nipple. It was hard, but I won a lollipop. 
• If there are games, I think there should be some prizes, too. 
• Party favors - For the guests to bring home as souvenirs, or to remind them that I was going to give birth soon. There are so many cute ones!          
• Invitations? I am not sure about this as I have to make an effort to meet the guests to give them out. How about a nice graphic e-mail?  
• Since my daughter is about to celebrate her 3rd birthday soon, I could have a joint party, too. Then the stuff above should be in pink and in blue!    
• Here's a page I'd like to keep in mind: Baby Shower 101

That's it! Any suggestions, mommies who had or have organized a baby shower? Since my pregnancy is coming to a close, I'd like to end it with a bang. A maternity shoot is not far from my mind, either. ;-)