You The Mom!

Motherhood is a bit overwhelming. Ok, not just a bit but maybe a lot. But if you find the right people to help you or advise you, then it can turn the tables and reveal the real awesomeness of being a Mother. Long story short, I found mine in Mommy Mundo.

Mommy Mundo is the Philippines’ most extensive portal of mom and family-focused resources. Born out of a passion for motherhood, an advocacy for active parenting, and driven by a desire to help and provide support to mothers, Mommy Mundo aims to serve the information needs of moms not only through this online home, but through other forms of media such as print, web, events, and beyond. Mommy Mundo is made up of an active community of more than 30,000 moms. - Mommy Mundo

Mommy Mundo's Expomom "You The Mom!" in Glorietta

The Balik Bukid Experience

I've been wanting to visit Sta. Elena Fun Farms ever since I've read about it in My Mom-Friday's post. They also have the Balik Bukid fair which happens twice a year, one during summer and one in the last quarter of the year.On their first year, we were busy with the wedding preps and I didn't know about them then, the following year, we were busy with parenthood. But finally this year, it happened! Just right on time for Mother's Day! :)))

Since it was our first time, I would like to share with you some of our learnings so you can enjoy your Balik Bukid experience more.

1. It is best to choose the right time you want to go to the fair. Check the schedule posted on their Facebook Page to see what activities will interest you. The fair starts at 8:00am and ends till 6:00pm. If you're coming with babies and toddlers, I suggest going early morning, or late afternoon. Otherwise, lunch time could be a little uncomfortable especially if you're going on a hot summer day.
2. Don't forget to bring stuff that will protect you from the sun. Hats, umbrellas, abanikos, sunscreen, etc. There are available stuff on site as well, but it's still best to bring your own so you won't need to buy and spend extra.
3. Think about having a picnic! Because that's one of the best things you can do during the fair. Bring blankets, pillows, etc. You can just choose a spot and setup and enjoy munching some food you got from the participating stalls or just enjoy an afternoon nap. We're definitely doing this next time.

Here are some of the photos during our visit. We particularly enjoyed watching Ava interact with the animals. She was so ecstatic. Just look at that face. :)

Summer Time is Travel Time

It's summer time and it goes without saying that family trips are also here. For first time parents like us, travelling with a toddler could be a great challenge. Not that we have been travelling, but I've been thinking about it and thought about ways of how we'll manage when the time comes.

Just recently, we were able to travel and visit my parents in Nueva Ecija. It's usually a 3-4-hour-drive from Manila via NLEX, but it seemed like everybody was headed the same way. It took as 6 hours. Our fambam's first time to travel with Ava the toddler that long.

Luckily, our little happy belle didn't seem to bother the long drive. And it also helped that we brought some stuff that kept her busy.


Here's my take on what you can do while travelling with your toddler:

Carseats

The use of carseats in our country is not as strict compared to others. I am also guilty of this, most of the time, we're good with Ava just sitting on my lap either in the front passenger seat or at the back. But I think we should all practice safe travelling especially when we are with our children. Make sure they are all buckled up comfortable and secured. Unlucky for us, we just realized that our darling daughter already outgrew her infant car seat. So we had to take her out from it and just settle at the backseat while Mr. T drove carefully. That's why we're already looking at getting front-facing carseats so the next time we go for a long drive, Ava is already safely buckled up. :)

Left: Ava in her infant car seat. Right: Britax Front-Facing Car Seat.

Hey! Still Here :)

I think it's time to state the fact that I am a negligent blogger. Or maybe a seasonal blogger instead, so as not to be too harsh on myself. :P Yes, I am still keeping (or at least trying to) my blog updated so I'm just gonna move on and jump on to what's current instead of holding off till I can complete my backlogs which will just make everything pile up all together. So yeah. Let's move on. Maybe I'll just post about them when I get the chance. :)

Let me just do a quick roundup instead of blogging about each event one by one. Last I posted was all about my little belle's Little Miss Audrey stint. It was then followed by her series of birthday celebrations, then the holiday season and the start of her toddler year. Yes, this little person right here took over our lives. But we're not complaining. Just loving every minute of it.

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.

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.

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.

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. :)