Little Miss Audrey

Mr. T's company usually hosts a Trick or Treat party for the family of their employees. Last year, we were still pregnant with Ava so Mr. T was on the other side of the party, giving out treats to children. And that time, I remember him telling me how he'll bring our baby to next year's trick or treat. Which is this year! :)

He reminded me about the party a couple of weeks earlier and that's when we started looking for costumes. The DIY Mama started Pinteresting and stumbled upon a lot of really cute costumes. But the problem was, Ava can't walk yet. And most of the costumes look nice if the baby's walking already. So it came down to one, The Baby Octopus.

Photo from Mom Inc Daily

We were all set for this so I listed down the stuff we need. A few days before the party we went to SM to buy everything we need. We already had everything, but I couldn't find a black onesie to complete the costume. I needed to think of a plan B, quickly because the OC/Stage Mama in me won't settle for something na pinagpwede na. Either we get all the stuff I need acording to plan or ditch the whole thing and go to/think of a Plan B which was exactly what we did. So little Baby Octopus became Little Miss Audrey.

From the Archive | DIY: Custom Canvas Shoes

Originally posted in June 24, 2012

In the afternoon, I decided to work on a different project - hand-paint a pair of canvas shoes that I don't get to wear much because it's too plain. And I will share how I did it step-by-step.

DIY Custom Canvas Shoes

1. The first thing I did was decide on the design I want. Google images and Pinterest will give you a lot of inspiration photos to choose from. I went for the Aztec print and found this photo thru Pinterest:

In the Kitchen: Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

This is a quick and easy recipe I adapted from (where else?) Martha's recipe. :)

The recipe originally calls for half a cup of raisin which is what I did the first time I tried this recipe. This is the ingredient that's pretty flexible, so you can try anything you think will work best with an oatmeal cookie. It also said rolled oats and not the quick-cooking ones but I used the latter since it was what I have that time. One last tweak I had to make was reduce the sugar by a quarter of a cup because I don't think Mr. T can handle a mother-daughter-sugar-rushing-till-dawn tandem kind of night in the middle of a workweek. :D

So here it is..

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 1/2 cup figs
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

How to Bake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together oats, flour, raisins, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy, scraping down bowl as necessary. Add egg and vanilla; beat until combined. Gradually add oat mixture; beat just until combined.
2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto two baking sheets. Bake until cookies are golden brown but still soft, 12 to 16 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Cool 5 minutes on sheets; transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Fambam Hits: Milky & Sunny

About a month ago, right before crazy November started, we found our little fambam in a small and cozy breakfast place called Milky & Sunny. This has been on my list for quite some time and I was happy to finally convince Mr. T to drive all the way to Kapitolyo in Pasig for our Sunday brunch that time. :)

A view of the whole place including my breakfast buddies. :)

Fambam Hits: Commune

Without the baby for today.

Mr. T and I don't get to spend lunch together that much even if our offices are just three buildings away because either one or both of us are too swamped with work. But last Thursday, Mr. T asked me out for lunch. :)

Instead of going to Pacific Star, I thought we could take advantage of these lunch dates and check out different places around our area. And on top of my list was Commune.

Commune is located at Liberty Plaza. corner of Dela Costa and Valero. If you're familiar with the area, it is where Binalot used to be. Commune is apparently a sister company of Binalot.

A Secret Love

All men be like..

My wife got sick. She was constantly nervous because of problems at work, personal life, her failures and problems with children. She has lost 30 pounds and weighted about 90 pounds in her 35 years.

She got very skinny, and was constantly crying. She was not a happy woman. She had suffered from continuing headaches, heart pain and jammed nerves in her back and ribs. She did not sleep well, falling asleep only in the morning and got tired very quickly during the day.

Our relationship was on the verge of break up. Her beauty was leaving her somewhere, she had bags under her eyes, she was poking her head, and stopped taking care of herself. She refused to shoot the films and rejected any role. I lost hope and thought that we’ll get divorced soon.

But then I decided to act on it. After all, I've got the most beautiful woman on the earth. She is the ideal of more than half of men and women on earth, and I was the one allowed to fall asleep next to her and to hug her shoulders. I began to pepper her with flowers, kisses and complements. I surprised her and pleased every minute. I gave her lots of gifts and lived just for her. I spoke in public only about her. I incorporated all themes in her direction. I praised her in front of her own and our mutual friends.

You won’t believe, but she has blossomed. She became even better than before. She gained weight, was no longer nervous and she loved me even more than ever. I had no clue that she CAN love that much.

And then I realized one thing: “The woman is the reflection of her man!”

This short essay started circulating around emails and Facebook a while back. Some said it was written by Brad Pitt but turned out untrue, leaving the author still unknown up to this date.

It was short and sweet but all men should take notes from this.

Fambam Hits: LōLa Café & Bar

There is no excuse for a late post so I'll just skip the whole part where I will tell that the reason of this post being a week too late was because I got sick for days and all that stuff. No I won't tell you that. I'll just go straight to blogging about our lovely afternoon visit at  LōLa Café & Bar.

Right before our errands two weekends ago, we went to visit  LōLa for some merienda. I'm gonna blame it on Google Maps for making us miss the place because the pin was very inaccurate. Like two blocks inaccurate. I was totally relying on it and didn't realize we already passed the place.

Good thing the place was located within the residential neighborhood along Sct. Lozano, going back didn't take too long. We found ourselves entering what felt like the house of your Tita who just came from the States and invited you over for lunch. Lol at the description but that's how it felt. I can also imagine this place after office hours, hanging out with friends over a few cocktails or cocktails would be fun in a cozy setup such as LōLa's.

The al fresco dining area

The upper level which is the dining area.

Letters for Ava

I like to think of myself as a Martha Stewart lady. :D

I love DIY stuff - sewing, crafting, cooking, baking, you name it. Everything in Martha's website, I'd love to try someday. That's why I know for a fact that I won't get bored nor become a bum should I decide to stop working one day. Lol. Just imagine all the projects I can make! :)

We all know that parties are always the best events where we can go ga-ga over DIY stuff. All the more if it's your little darling's first birthday party. :)

Here's one of the many DIY stuff I've been working on for Little A's simple birthday party celebration.

Letter Paper Mâchés

I already did these huge letter paper mâchés for our wedding but that was before when I still have the time and energy to do every single thing. :D Now, I am excited for the crafting revolution that is happening in the Philippines. Resources are still a bit limited but they're slowly building up, one craft store to another. And then of course we have these online stores offering a wide variety of crafting supplies. Just like ARTees Collection where I got these kraft letter paper mâchés. Definitely saved me from a lot of paper cuts. ;)

So here's how easily I did this project:

Fambam Hits: la Creperie San Juan

Our little fambam of three enjoys spending the  weekend bonding over food. Yes, even our 10-month-old little miss A is already a foodie. :D

So for our Sunday's foodie adventure, we went on a quick drive to San Juan to visit a quaint little place called La Creperie. 

The entrance to La Creperie

I love all things pretty and dainty, and this place has just the right amount of both. It's perfect for a simple family lunch to a romantic dinner date for two.

"All we need id Love, and Paris." | Second Level of La Creperie

Their second level, which can comfortably fit 20-30 people, can also accomodate intimate gatherings with families and friends.

Ezio Turned One

Oh wow, less than a month since my blog went online and I'm already delayed with my posts. Ha! :P But always better than nothing, eh? :D

We braved the looming wrath of Typhoon Maring before it hit the metro a couple of weeks ago to attend Ezio's first birthday party. :) Ezio is the first born of EF and Shiela, our friends from college. Didn't realize that we've known each other for more than 10 years already. From our inuman whatevers, here we are now, attending each other's weddings, baby christenings and now birthday parties. Ayayay, how time flies.

Sharing some photos from the party. :)

Fambam Hits: Mom and Tina's

Mr. T and I have been foodies ever since, food is our guilty pleasure. It slowed down because of pregnancy restrictions but we were still hunting for hole in the wall places every now and then. I remember during our 7th month when big meaty burgers were my cravings, we drove to Taft after a storm just to get a taste of Zark's Burger.

Me and my fatty face posing with the Jawbreaker

Fast-forward to today, now that we have A, it became more fun. Since she already eats, she can now enjoy our little fambam's bonding over food, which usually happens during weekends. :)

Why my Husband is my Husband

Everyone, this is my husband, Mr. T. And this is one of our regular conversations when we're both in the office.

I was having my random babbles (as seen on my twitter feed) and I thought of sending it to him so he'll get the message. He got it alright.

You see, he doesn't give me crappy replies and promises me the moon and the stars. Maybe that's one of the reasons why our relationship works. We let each other dream but we also make each other realize that we both have to work hard for our dreams. And when I say both of us, that means equal sharing with all our responsibilities. Both of us doing what we do best and helping each other in areas where we don't do well. He doesn't let me just sit around and order things to be done nor wait for people to do things for me. And the humour and language in our relationship! Lol. It's the kind that will embarrass our children in their teenage years. And yes, that probably is one of our goals as parents.

Conversations like this usually end up on a high note.

So yeah, we peestpamp like rockstars! Hahah!

100 Days of BLW

Baby Led Weaning (BLW) is defined as:

Quite simply, means letting your child feed themselves from the very start of weaning.
* re ‘wean’. This is meant in the Brit sense, not the American. In the UK, ‘weaning’ means ‘adding complementary foods’, whereas in the States it means ‘giving up breastfeeding’.

I learned about BLW during one of the breastfeeding meetups we attended earlier this year. A was just around three months then. Then I started reading about it and introduced it to Mr. T as well. After reading articles, watching videos and more, I was finally ready and confident enough to do it. Yes, I had to build my confidence level and had to learn the difference between choking and gagging.

And as A turned six months on May 1 of this year, we started our BLW journey.

Our little foodie in training. Her first solid food - avocado. No, she didn't eat cake. Lol.

In the Kitchen: Crispy Kulitis

If I have to choose which of the wife duties I love the most, I will pick cooking in a heartbeat. Just about anything that has something to do with preparing and making meals for my little fambam, I enjoy a lot. Probably because the hubee is such a foodie and the little miss A is looking like becoming one as well. Happy tummies equals a happy family. :)

While I have my typical go-to recipes, every once in a while, I would try and cook something new just to give our palates something different. Or sometimes, the folks will bring some fresh goodies all the way from Nueva Ecija - longganisa, fish but veggies most of the time. Just recently I learned how to eat Kulitis (Chinese Spinach) leaves so my dad would bring me some everytime they're in Manila for a visit.

The only way I know how to cook it is to sauteé with garlic, onion, tomato and mackerel or sardines. And since my dad brought heaps of these greens last weekend, I think someone will eventually complain if I cook it that way over and over again. So I thought maybe I can make a Crispy Kulitis just like the Crispy Kangkong. :)

And here's what I came up with.

Ingredients:

50 pieces of Kulitis leaves

(Choose the big ones, wash then lay flat on a plate)

For the batter:

1 cup All Purpose Flour

1 cup Ice Cold Water

1 Egg

1 cup Cooking Oil

How to cook:

1. Start by heating the pan with the cooking oil.
2. Combine the flour, water and egg then beat until the lumps of flour are gone.
3. Hold the stem of the kulitis and brush both sides of the leaf in the batter until completely covered.
4. Cook until it turns slightly brown.
5. Remove from pan and transfer to a strainer lined with a tissue or coffee filter to absorb oil.
6. Serve and enjoy. :)

I made two dips:

1. Mayonaisse, dried oregano, dried basil, salt and pepper.
2. Soy sauce, lemon, garlic powder and sesame oil.

Recipe adapted from Crispy Spinach Recipe by Panlasang Pinoy

The World Stops..

..when your child gets sick. Well at least that's what I thought, because mine did.

I came home to a feverish A last night. It was not her first time actually, because during her 4th monthly checkup, she reacted to her vaccine with a very low-grade fever. In less than 24 hours, she was back to her normal self. But this time was different.

She was holding on to me, telling me something's wrong. 

I was trying to convince myself that it was just like the first time and A will just shrug it off once again. But my little nursling was telling me something else. She was just nursing quietly, holding on to me. No acrobatics, no wrestling. She'd fall asleep but quickly wakes up at the slightest move I make. We monitored her temperature round the clock and it went from 36.7°C up to 38.3°C. It was still a low-grade fever but I knew that something else was going on. It was a long night and I was constantly reminding myself not to message A's pedia in the middle of the night and wait till morning instead. She advised us to keep monitoring and bring A in for her to see should she become uninterested or totally stopped nursing. But my little nursling didn't slow down, but her temperature went up to 39°C. It was then that we decided to bring her in.

7 Days without Facebook

I was disconnected to Facebook for a week. Here are the reasons why:

1. I hated the news. The ratio between the good and the bad was very disappointing. And then you'll see people sharing and reposting. There was even this news about two kids missing. Then someone posted about the details of how they were found, lifeless inside an abandoned car, then people added more details by posting comments. Heartbreaking.
2. People became superficial. Not all but some. And it was irritating. Posting statuses about everything they were doing, posting photos of food they were eating, etc. just for the purpose of having something to post. Creating an image very far from reality. You'll see a big difference between people who just want to share and those who go out of their way just so they'll have something to post.
3. Photos of people with tubes and other medical stuff, looking so frail and weak. See, I get the message. But I don't want to see them looking so helpless over and over again. I'd rather see them full of life, fighting.
4. Narcicists! Lol. Seriously, I have friends on my list posting selfies, album after album. Doing this, doing that.

The Invisible Mother

Becoming a mother can be exhausting, daunting and challenging all at the same time. But I love being one because the rewards are more than enough to compensate me. Just one smile from my little belle and all the exhaustion go away. Just one look of approval and all my anxieties disappear. And by just seeing her grow into a beautiful person, day by day, assures me that I've overcome my challenges from yesterday.

People will only see the surface of how you are as a mother. They won't know the little big things that we do. Unless they (1) are with you every second of the day, or (2) they become mothers themselves. But I'd like to think that one day, when someone sees my little belle all grownup, someone will come up to me and say, "Hey, you did a fantastic job!"

I guess it's a universal feeling shared by mothers everywhere. Just like this story I am sharing. I'm pretty sure we can all relate in one or another.

One super power achieved: INVISIBILITY.