Baby's monthly check-up, Hainanese, Bo's Coffee, Galleria

We took JD for his regular monthly check-up. He had his pneumococcal vaccine, the most expensive vaccine for babies (tumataginting ng Php5k!). As usual he only cried for a short time. We had the doctor also check his Ate R's gums because of the accident I mentioned here. She prescribed an ointment (namamayat na ung wallet ni Daddy A huhu).

Anyway, after the hospital, we went to Robinson's Galleria. We were going on an out-of-town trip the following day (see next post), and so we had to buy some stuff. First, we had lunch at Hainanese Delights. It's actually my second time here because I used to have a client in the area.

I guess Wee Nam Kee is still better, but it's not that bad because they have bigger servings. Daddy A had their breaded pork, while I had the traditional Hainanese (steamed) chicken. We also ordered ramen on the side.

Afterwards, feel ni Daddy A magcoffee pa so we went to Bo's Coffee. Syempre I had the decaf mocha. Nice din their backdrop noh?

The kids and our Alma Mater's Arch of the Centuries. #futurethomasians

Daddy and the kiddos

We then headed for what actually we came for: Watsons for sunblock and some other toiletries, Saizen for cheap beach toys (for making sand castles), and we also bought R floaters.

Daddy A wanted to go bowling pa sana, kaso sarado na pala ung Paeng's skybowl (hello high school!). We went to SM North instead. Unfortunately, all lanes were occupied, so we settled for the little arcade games boo! At least R was happy.

Watch out for our Pico de Loro trip up next!

Expired driver's license and a bruised princess

Yesterday, I took some time-off to renew my driver's license. I've been driving for a week with an expired license pala, eh may mga daredevil/barubal moves pa naman ako sa EDSA. Oops.

I headed for the nearest satellite office in Ayala MRT station. All in all, without the drug testing na, it took me 2 hours. Yep still that long. The backlog is when they get to take your picture. There's only one station kasi. Better sana if they put in two. Anyway, they're very accomodating naman and polite there.

Basically there are just four steps to renew:

1) Go to window 1, surrender your old license, fill up the form

2) Medical (weight, height, eye check up)

3) Picture taking and digital signature

4) Pay the fee (License fee - Php350 + Computer fee Php67.63 + medical Php100, if you're late in renewing, penalty fee of Php100)

Viola, you get your card right then and there.

Before heading back to the office, I grabbed a quick bite at KFC for lunch, and stopped by Uncle Sam (like The Dollar store) and bought some pasalubong for R (a tiara and a princess activity set at Php66 each). Buti pala I got these kasi I did not know R figured in an accident at home.

When I got home, she was crying and showed me her bruised chin and a tear inside her lower lip. Nasalubsob pala siya. Hay she still has no yaya kasi (her yaya left unexpectedly - I don't want to dwell on it further grrr!). JD's yaya had her hands full and couldn't keep up with R's kakulitan. What I don't like lang is she didn't call me right away when my mom had to leave afterlunch and that she was left alone to take care of the two kids. She didn't even call me when R had an accident. I could have told her how to apply first aid. Anyway, good thing I'm far from the praning/panicky mom I was before. I just cleansed R's wound with Cetaphil and applied Betadine. For her inside lower lip, I dabbed Bactidol and made her gurgle salt and water solution. Note to self: give yaya a refresher on first aid this weekend. I also have to update the emergency numbers posted on the kid's bedroom wall and put it beside the phone.

After giving R some tender loving care (TLC), I gave her the pasalubongs (I was saving these sana for some occasion or as a reward, but mom's intuition, I guess, called for this care package).

I was surprised, just after turning three years old, she could write her name legibly =). You'll also see in the pic above that she can color within the lines/shapes (walang lagpas). Proud mom moment.

God please continue to cover my children with your mantle of protection. Spare them from accidents, illnesses and any sort of harm/danger specially when I'm not near them. Amen.

Weekender

Last Saturday was another working day for me, these cuties just pulled me through and inspired me to finish and submit another hundred pager report.

Nevertheless we got to enjoy our Sunday family day. It was another trip to the mall after mass. Where else but our go-to mall, SM Cubao.

As usual, this little cutie was so giddy.

We chanced upon some Halloween costume ideas.

She went through the racks as well and fancied the tutus. She's at the stage where she picks what she wants to wear.

Ooh pretty dresses for little kikays:

Pang japorms for the little rascals pogis:

We stocked up on JD's diapers, take note JD only. R is almost completely toilet trained at just 3 years old. Yey! Also bought breastmilk bags. Lola P got R a blouse at 50% off to match the cute tutu she bought in Divisoria. We also got JD his pang japorms for my cousin's wedding this November. It'll also be R's first stint as a flower girl (excited much!).

Lola P had to leave early cause she had to attend an event. We then had meryenda at Dulcinea. I ordered Vongole and onion soup.

Daddy A had the hamburger steak and R got to nibble his fries:

Afterwards, Daddy A got to buy loafers from Fila that were 60% off. And before heading home, R had her usual carousel ride. Oops we also got bumbilyas pala for the dining area chandelier (they're all busted na kasi). Take note I did not buy anything for myself, wow God indeed gifted me with self restraint for my birthday.

Hope you also enjoyed your weekend with the family. 

BGC Highstreet and Active Fun

On my birthday, we decided to hop on over to BGC for a change in scenery. We first window shopped since the sun was still blazing hot. Our first stop was GAP:

I went gaga (pwede ring loka loka) over this cute polo for JD and it was the only stock left.

But after some thought, (insert konsensya: Daddy A said it's more expensive than the longsleeves polos he buys) I just had to return it. Birthday gift ata sakin ni God ang shopping restraint =)

Next stop was Muji:

It's like that store in the late 90's to early 2000's, Anonymous, by Tina and Ricco Ocampo. I miss that store, the prices there are more affordable. So bottomline, window shopping lang kami here.

We browsed through this shop next. It's really home stores that get me nowadays.

Next, we explored the park. R had fun with the various contraptions, or may I say, playful art they put up in the area.

R wanted to browse through this store next. She's finally transitioned to the Princess phase coming from gender neutral characters like Mickey Mouse and Pororo.

I'm so proud we were able to walk out of it without having to buy anything. She was happy to just try on various accessories.

Daddy A and his little princess:

She insisted on posing with this huge mouse silhouette whatever:

Our last stop was Active Fun. It wasn't our first time here since one of R's cousins celebrated her birthday here. R was so happy upon seeing the play area.

While R and Daddy A were playing, I ordered some pizza.

And that capped off my birthday celebration. Seems my happiest birthday so far, (although it's also the first birthday without my dad) I have my own growing family now. It's really just spending time with my family and seeing the smiles on my kids' faces that bring me joy.

It's my birthday and JD's fourth month

As I've written in this post, i was so busy but at least was able to take time out to celebrate my birthday and JD's fourth month see post here.

For those who don't know I'm already _ _ secret! Well officially I'm off the calendar but I'm quite proud I don't look it (sabi ng nanay ko) hihi. More of my realizations on ageing in this post.

JD is also four months already and still exclusively nourished by ze boobies hurray!

At four months JD:
has mastered rolling back and forth
loves bouncing/standing (with support)
babbles a lot
giggles a lot (see video link below)
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151950303853516&set=vb.746173515&type=2&theater

I'm just so happy and grateful to God for what I have and where I am right now. Thanks for another year, another blessing.

What to wear, where to go, Halloween 2013

It's that time of the year again wherein moms like me are in a frenzy looking for the perfect Halloween costume for our kids. Or maybe it's just me?! Hehe. As my friends would attest, I love dressing up. That eventually cascaded down to my kids. Most of my friends would say "napagtripan nanaman kayo ng mommy niyo noh?! Here are the evidences:

R's monthly baby photos:

As they say, I have a new victim (insert evil laugh bwahaha). Here's JD in Ninoy:

Here's R in Princess Peach, when she attended our company's trick-or-treat activity in 2011. She wasn't able to attend last year though because of the heavy traffic.

I'm just so fortunate I have a mom who can sew up an outfit/costume in a jiffy. This year I'm still contemplating on what my kids will wear.

There are nice ideas online and would definitely be hassle free. Check out:
http://totsandtoddlers.com.ph/index.php
http://www.celestinaandco.com/category/apron-dresses-and-costumes
Or I may as well go retail since they're quite affordable too. Just hop on over to the nearest mall and check out:
Toy Kingdom
Toys R Us

Now where to bring the kids this Halloween? If your village or office doesn't have a trick-or-treat activity, you may want to check out Smart Parenting's round up of Halloween activities you can bring your kids to.
http://www.smartparenting.com.ph/home-living/travel-trips-activities/a-guide-to-halloween-2013-trick-or-treat-parties/page/1

Have fun and easy on the sweets for the kids.

Working weekend, talo pa USTe, oh please be good to me birthday

Missed me? Sorry if I haven't posted about a stress-free/pasyal mode weekend with the family, it's because I'm like this:

Image from here

Yep I'm drowning in office work since last Friday. I have over a hundred page report and still halfway through last Saturday. It broke my heart that I wasn't able to play all day with my children, specially R who would shut my laptop lid whenever she'd come near me. She's really not used to seeing me work at home. If I bring home work, I usually do it when they're asleep. But this weekend, I had no choice really.

Tapos syempre late na 'tong post na 'to. By now everyone knows La Salle won. But that Saturday, despite the busy working day, siningit ko ang panunuod ng finals in our living room with my brother. I guess in every household there really is that friendly rivalry especially if each of you comes from a different Alma Mater. My dad and almost all his brothers were from La Salle, my cousins and specially my brother all came from the same school as well. Me, my mom and hubby of course are from UST, as well as hubby's siblings and mom.

Sabi ko pa kay bro C, sino matalo bili ng pizza. Eh nagugutom na ko, sabi ko "order na tayo, bayaran mo na." Bro C said "ayoko nga hindi pa naman tapos ung laban, ikaw nagugutom, ako kaya ko pa magtiis." At hindi ko na talaga natiis I ordered pizza, which seemed like a bad omen pala, natalo nga ang USTe! Hay, after all the bashing, chants and hiyawan namin ni bro, in the end ganito rin kami like the Teng brothers and enjoyed our pizza:

Image from here

After pulling and all-nighter, we got to have our family day in Trinoma after mass. Didn't shop that much, lumalakas na ang will power ko yey! We just basically enjoyed the day with the kids at Timezone and ate at Burger King for meryenda. Daddy A just bought me some tank tops and a blouse at Landmark for my coming birthday. R naman is at this stage na she would ask for "something", like a cheap pasalubong (like food) when you come home from work or buy something before going home (like stickers, or some cheap item like cute clips or panties etc.). Sinanay kasi ni Lola P and Wowa C niya na laging may pasalubong pagdating galing Divisoria (tsk tsk!). So before going home, we bought her a hanky. Masaya na siya dun. I just have to explain we can only buy her stuff if she's been good or doing well in some area (e.g. toilet training). And nothing above Php50!

Anyway, as of press time, I've submitted the draft report na binu-buno ko. I also had a wonderful birthday celebration with my family. Will tell you more in my next post.

Household budgeting 101; How to manage the family fund

Let’s shift to money matters this time. I realized my posts have been so much about malling and shopping, you might think my financial IQ is way down low and I'm a bad influence. To think Daddy A and I are CPAs, and that our everyday jobs immensely relate to finance, you might say we don’t practice what we preach.

To start off, before we got married, we could say (and even our parents would attest) that we were both financially savvy individuals. I was a heavy saver since I was a kid. I would always save a part of my allowance and I rarely buy anything from toy stores. I just wait for occasions such as birthdays, Christmas or good grades for gifts/rewards. From my alkansya (piggy bank), bank account, and wallet, I well-accounted for those until the last centavo, maybe that's the reason I became an accountant. Daddy A on the other hand is maipon din, and "kuripot" hehe. He won't buy new stuff unless laspag na ung mga dati niya. It helped pa na scholar yan before kaya anlaki ng natitipid niya.

When we got married we merged our financial principles and agreed what to apply with our own family. And here are those financial principles we actually try to live by:

1. Any financial guru has already said this equation time and again: Income – Savings = Expenses
2. Ask yourself before buying, is it a need or a want? Hokey honestly, yung mga ibang nabibili ko lately ay tawag lang ng sale at retail therapy dala ng stress. But I make sure we allot some for savings.
3. Try to be debt free as much as possible. We rarely use our credit cards, only for big transactions and we pay the full amount when the bill comes. Meaning if we can't afford to pay it in a month's time, we won't buy it yet. Exception to the rules are taking out a housing loan or car loan, which to us are basic necessities. We just have to make sure we could afford the monthly amortizations.
4. When helping others such as family or friends, set a manageable amount (that in case they can't pay up, it won't hurt your budget that much)
5. Live within your means. Period.

So how do we manage the household budget? Open a MS Excel worksheet and here's a template you may use:

List down your sources of income and add them up, e.g.:

1. Daddy's monthly net pay (When I say net pay, this is what you see in your payslip, net of taxes and other standard deductions. This basically is your active income)
2. Mommy's monthly net pay (if the wife works as well)
3. Extra racket - average per month (This is your passive income from your sidelines)

List down your savings and investment contributions broken down per month, into 3 categories, e.g.:

1. Long term - Pension/retirement fund/life insurance contributions; stocks/bonds/mutual funds; college fund contributions; downpayment for a house/investment property
2. Medium term - travel/vacation fund; downpayment for a car; puhunan (investment) for a business; new baby (hospital, baby gear, clothes etc.)
3. Short term - Emergency fund (once it exceeds 6 months worth of monthly expenses you could transfer the excess to medium and long term investments); tuition fee; big occasions/celebrations
4. Tithes - Investment niyo 'to sa heaven. Never forget to thank the Lord for all His blessings. It's up to you how much. Basta I learned that whatever you give back to Him, it comes back a tenfold or even a hundredfold.

List down your regular monthly expenses according to the hierarchy of needs:

1. Food - sometimes buying in bulk doesn't save you a lot. Just make sure you buy what your family can actually consume.
2. Medicines/vaccines
3. Rent or housing loan amortization
4. Utilities (electricity, water, communications)
5. Transportation or car loan amortization
6. Clothes
7. Househelp
8. Other daily personal expenses (e.g. lunches, parking)
9. Dates
10. Family day/malling (weekends)
11. Other personal expenses (e.g. salon, massage, personal shopping)

Equals (negative Php) hehe. Joke! This is where the principle of living within your means applies. Try to cut down on some costs at the bottom part of your expense list. A little sacrifice here and there makes a big difference (say instead of weekly, make it every two weeks or once a month). 

For your savings/investment list naman, try to set reasonable amounts of how much you can allot. It doesn't have to be huge immediately, maybe when you get a promotion or salary increase nalang. Pangit din naman yung you'll scrimp and save tapos your kids are getting malnourished or "aircool" (butas-butas) na ung mga damit niyo. I would also advise that you read a lot of financial books from authors that are easy to understand like Bo Sanchez and Francisco Colayco.

It's all about discussing with your family your priorities and just sticking to it. Involve the kids in the discussion as well. And always be honest with them about how much you are actually making.

Binyagan Sunday

Yesterday we attended the baptism of Daddy A's newest pamangkin, W. He was also one of the ninongs.

The new Katoliko, cutie baby W:



At the ceremony, JD enjoying his fingers again:



Here's a kapiraso of the Barangay at the ceremony:



Here's the venue, Congo Grille in Jupiter. The food was great, as in all the viands were delicious.



R enjoyed playing with her cousins. It's been a long time since they last saw each other, binyag pa ata ni JD. But you can always count on my husband's growing family for many get-togethers. Ang saya kasi parang taon-taon may bagong baby!

Ang mag pinsan, pinaplano na ang susunod nilang gimick:
W: Dun tayo sa Active Fun next weekend, bring-your-own-bottle
JD: Dami ba chicks dun?
W: Oo naman

Our photobooth pic:

JD got tired of the day's happenings as well. Pareho sila ni ate R nakatulog sa car. We then headed to church for Sunday mass.