My Daughter Discovers YouTube

Ever since my eldest discovered YouTube, Ella has been in front of the PC when she comes home from school and after she does her homework. My hubby now has competition in desktop computer usage.

It all started when she wanted to buy My Little Pony toys for her birthday and she wants to know what is the best. I helped her take a look at toy review videos. After that, she got hooked!

Some channels that she watch on YouTube include:

Bin's Toy Bin - a husband and wife tandem reviewing toys, usually My Little Pony




Disney Car Toys - mom who has a son and they present funny and creative ways of playing with toys, usually Disney cars and Cookie Monster




My Froggy Stuff - creative crafting of accessories for toys and customization of dolls




The Toy Mom - a lucky mom who gets to review lots of toys!



Now that she knows how to read and spell, she enjoys searching for and watching videos about toys. I had to limit her computer time, though.

Do your children watch YouTube?

A McDelivery Online Experience

Since we don't have a helper yet and my hubby will have been out for the evening, I decided to try ordering from McDonald's online. I have already signed up at their website mcdelivery.com.ph and used the "Avatarize Me" feature. Look at the avatar my 3-year-old made for me:

Am I that pretty? 

I was the one who gets excited receiving a toy from the children's meal. But sadly, the McDelivery online options do not feature Happy Meals. McDonald's called me up even on my cellphone to confirm my order and that's where I added a Happy Meal for my daughter. The toys this time are little plastic characters from the movie Kung Fu Panda 2. I wonder why she didn't like Po and requested for the peacock(?) instead. Anyway, food arrived after around 20-25 minutes.

I didn't know that McDonald's uses Heinz tomato ketchup and that the sachets have already been repackaged. They look nice!

Tiny Love Take-Along Mobile for my not so tiny love

Tiny Love in a box

Last Christmas, my hubby Rix and I bought presents for the kids. For our baby boy, since he cannot choose yet, we opted for a Tiny Love Take-Along mobile for ages 0-5 months, as replacement for his busted Lights & Sounds Mobile from Vtech, which was his sister's. We were attracted to the 3-in-1 function even though the price was steep at 1,699.75Php. After it was demonstrated on the stroller, we did not remove it anymore and baby Caleb had a means of entertainment while being pushed around the mall. We did not have a car seat so it was only 2-in-1 for us. I sometimes use it in the car when Caleb is bored. I  clip it to the handle above the car door so he could see it while lying in my arms. 

Since it was portable, the colorful animals were quite small and not very attention-catching. The box said it plays up to 30 minutes of music when in fact, the music doesn't stop automatically. It had to be turned off manually. There is also an option of muting the music and just let baby observe the circular motion of the mobile in silence. It plays 5 different instrumental lullabies which make for great background music  in the bedroom, especially in a nursery. I have tried not turning it off for around a day or so and the chargeable triple A batteries that we use were drained quickly. Three batteries were required. 

Sometimes, Caleb is quite captivated by the mobile. But there are times that it cannot distract him from crying when put inside his playpen. I am trying to use it as often as I could so we could get value for our money. And, that means always recharging the batteries. 

Boy Number One, Child Number Two

Having a second child entails a unique set of needs and ideas.

First, I had to condition my mind to accept the pain that undergoing C-section brings. Again! Next, I had to prepare my first child in getting used to the notion that she's not going to be the only baby in the house anymore. I taught her to be gentle in what she does, especially to her little brother. I am also teaching her to speak softly around baby Caleb. My heart just melts when she tries to help me in her own ways. I once asked her to get the pack of baby wipes because her baby brother pooped so much, and she did! It's amazing how she can understand instructions.

Since my hubby, my daughter Elle and I have been insured, we needed to look into an online insurance quote or contact our agent again for Caleb. And I know that it will be less expensive if we start early. There were also little significant things to do like having the baby clothes washed and sorted. I kept the girly rompers and dresses in the closet, to be donated in the near future. I am loving hand-me-downs from my cousins and my kids' cousin. It's very cost effective and they are like new. Since babies outgrow their clothes so fast, it is not practical to buy a whole lot. Elle's toys are unisex as of now, so she could share her toy cars, blocks, etc. to Caleb. Some would think that the second child is pitiful because he's getting old stuff, but parents could save more that way and buy him a new and better toy next time. And I believe he would appreciate it more. By the time Caleb would be playing with Elle's toys, she would be interested in something else.

How about you? What are your thoughts on having child number two?

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.

The Dream Dollhouse For Me

 

  

Last Christmas, my daughter Elle received a dollhouse set from a couple, who are close friends of mine and my hubby's. Elle gets it out to play with almost everyday. The details of the dollhouse are fine unlike some other ones with less quality. The flooring of the different areas are not just flat. There is parquet for the bedrooms and den, tiled toilet & bath and kitchen, wooden boards for the attic and dining area. Pieces of furniture can be rearranged. There is a 4-seater dining set, two beds, a love seat, a lamp, a TV console, a TV, a bath tub and a watercloset with a cover that can be opened. The refrigerator in the kitchen can also be opened. The sink is recessed, the range and some items on the counter top are molded. The bedrooms have French doors leading to balconies. The dolls consists of a family of four and a family dog with its own doghouse attached to the facade of the house. The middle portion floors and columns of the house can be folded up so the two sides can be swung in to conceal the rooms and just show the outside of the dollhouse. What I don't like about it are the lack of imaginative colors on the outer and inner walls of the dollhouse and the detachable ladders that lack stability when put up. But, overall, this is a great dollhouse set children would enjoy.

If I were to design my own dream dollhouse, I'd have themed designs for every room. The kitchen could have a country feel with flowered curtains for the window, the same flowered design could be on the cushions for the wooden chairs with a matching table in the nook. The cupboards would have varnished doors in light oak. The walls would have be painted in sunshine yellow. There would be little baskets to hold some miniature produce. The living area would sport a contemporary look with an L-shaped sofa upholstered in soft beige leather. The walls would be of floor to ceiling faux glass. Other furniture would consist of a coffee table, a bar with bar stools made with materials that would look like glass and chrome. The den would have an accent rug in psychedelic design. Its theme would be a colorful retro style. Bright hues of red, blue, purple and orange shall splash the space. I'd like a Zen, spa-like theme for the master bedroom. With a simple yet relaxing surrounding, and colors of nature in its palette. If there would be a nursery in the dollhouse, the furniture would be painted in pastel colors and the wallpaper would look like this:

 

 I found this wallpaper design in the site of an online dollhouse components retailer, who can provide dollhouse-making enthusiasts with doll house kits. If I can't design my real house the way I truly like it to be, then I could probably do it with a dollhouse, right?

Some of them need help

Rubber "duckies" in the tubby

New Addition

There was no special occasion, just because my daughter loves Pooh and we have a Pooh lamp that was too hard to hug. Also, Pooh was the first character that she remembered and recognized.



Here's a welcoming hug...


...for the new addition to the family of stuffed toys.

Toy Fail?

One sunny yet cool January day, I was inspecting one of the many toys given to my daughter last Christmas. This is what I discovered.

Did you notice anything unusual? Other than Pooh's Cowboy cousin?
Yes? No?
Here's a closer look.

Can someone, anyone explain to me why there is a carrot stuck to the horse's neck?