WG6: An Outing at Pisa Dive, Batangas

As promised in one of my previous posts, here are the pics of our trip to an island resort in Pisa, Batangas last year. It was a company outing and the kids had fun because the place was so peaceful and all they had to do was swim, play and sleep.

Pisa is one of the barangays of the municipality of Tingloy, Batangas. Tingloy is famous for its over 30 dive points.

The beach is so beautiful! The sand is kinda rocky, but it's alright because once you dip into the water, you will find Nemos and other sea creatures swimming near you!

as usual, I was the photographer...Gabby and Sunday with the kids of my former officemateslazy afternoon
It was so fun there! The island is so peaceful and life is so simple.

Happy week ahead! :)

WG5: A Day At The Park

Last Saturday, we were bored and wanted to spend the afternoon in a different cheap yet fun way. Tired of going to the mall on weekends, we decided to head to Rizal Park!

The kids were excited because they miss our nights on Harbor Square or on the bay of SM Mall of Asia. Gabby and Sunday are just like me---we all love to sit and watch the sunset. When we reached the place, I didn’t expect that there were activities that families can do there!
Rizal monumentone of the many attractions in Rizal ParkThey're not birds, they're not planes...they're kites! P60 for small and P100++ for big onesThere's a playground near Manila Ocean Park where kids
can play. Actually, I spotted some adults who played there, too! :)Gabby and Sunday spent almost the rest of the afternoon hereI tried this one, too! It's fun!
(Okay, I was one of the adults mentioned above :)
I think we will go back there before the summer vacation ends. We want to try kite-flying! I haven't done that in years! Happy rest of the week! :)

Art Activity1: Salty Art

As promised, here is art activity #1. This is so easy to do and the kids will surely have fun time doing this. The purpose of this activity is for them to see the reaction of the salt with color. This activity is good in teaching Science and Art at the same time. Enjoy! :)
Materials needed: Matte white or light-colored paper,
watercolor, salt and brushes (of course!)
Art Time:1. Using watercolor and brush, let your kid/s draw any object/s
that they want to. (Best subject: underwater or skyscape).2. Once done with their watercolor art, let your kids sprinkle
salt on their still-wet drawing. The salt absorbs the watercolor,
creating a texture that cannot be achieved by plain painting.
3. Leave their paintings to dry and when it's completely dry,
brush off the salt.
Sunday's Salty Art
Tips:
*Don't sprinkle too much salt to achieve a natural effect.
*Don't arrange the salt on your painting. Sprinkle in random.
*Don't sprinkle on too dry or too wet wash or paints.
*Any salt is good but ground rock salt is better.

WG4: Casa Leonida, Pansol

We spent Good Friday and half of Black Saturday at Casa Leonida in Pansol, Laguna. My sister invited us and of course, I didn't say no because the kids were so excited about it. They also had bonding moments with their cousins. Gabby and Sunday had so much fun!

You can be sure that the water on the pool is clean because they fill it up just when you're about to arrive

Gabby looking down at the swimming pools from the second floor where the bedrooms are

Time to swim in the two hot spring swimming pools for adults and kids

The kids enjoyed singing at the videoke after eating dinner

 

sleep time!

The following morning, the kids swam for about two hours more and played billiards

I really think they'll miss this resort. Sunday even told me that she can live here forever! :)

Furniture For My Mom's House

My father-in-law is very good in carpentry. He can build bookshelves, tables and chairs from planks of wood which you think should be thrown away. He once made a bookshelf for Gabby and Sunday and he painted it brown. But because he used substandard wood, it became wobbly and the drawers broke apart just after a year. But I still trust him in making furniture which I dream of giving to my mother who lives in the province. If my father-in-law ever sees the rustic furniture on Scenic Furniture, he surely will get excited and will have inspiration from the furniture offered there.
I like the Red Oak Barnwood Hutch. I have been dreaming of giving that kind of furniture to my mother. Her pieces of furniture are mostly made of wood and that hutch will complement them. I just wish she would have an island table so my mother can just do the food preparation in one place.

Tall Order: Pamper Your Pets!

I once worked in a pharmaceutical company dealing with veterinary and human medicines. The job entails that I design booths and standees and set them up on location. The company usually joins dog shows and other trade shows related to animal care so I always had fun tagging along since I love dogs! I was able to know and photograph some rare dog breeds and be amazed at how their owners spend so much in taking care of them.After every booth set-up, we usually hang around to check the other exhibitors’ products like dog food, dog clothes and dog carriers. One of the products on display that caught my attention was the elevated dog feeder. I thought, “What a well-cared-for dog must it be if his owner buys him this!” The staff manning that booth explained to me that dogs, especially the tall ones, experience stress when eating from low-lying bowls. Hmm, so Great Dane and Afghan Hound must love these feeders!

It's really good attending trade shows, you learn so much! :)

Look Fab This Summer!

Summer time is here. And with summer comes the packing away for weekend outings or just a swim at a nearby pool. As doting moms to two kids, I always have a list on what to bring whenever we have outdoor trips that include swimming. Sunscreen lotion, shades, umbrella and hats, snacks, povidone iodine, hand sanitizer, inflatables are just some of the summer essentials that I can’t leave behind. I can’t leave moisturizers, too! Not because I stay and work at home, I will forget to take care of myself! I have to moisturize my skin because I tend to have dry skin on extreme weather conditions!
But if there’s one thing I really want to buy this summer, it’s the towel wrap! I have seen it a year ago on a spa I went to and I wanted to buy it but they told me it's not for sale! :) I wanted it so much because it is secured on the chest part and I don't have to worry about it falling off whenever my kids would tug on my towel. It happens, right? :)

Wearing bath wrap towel is one sure way of looking fab and feeling secure while spending a day at the beach or pool!

Remembering Gabby's Preschool Graduation

It was almost the same week last year when Gabby graduated from Preparatory School. He’s now in Grade 1 and come June, he’ll be in Grade 2. How time flies!

But before it flies again with some of my memories of Gabby’s preschool years, let me share with you his pics on all of his moving-up rites in preschool.



Gabby was very shy when he entered Nursery. He only knew the alphabet, numbers 1-10 and animal names.


He was more confident on his Kindergarten year. He learned so much in so little time! He made me proud by being the third honorable mention in his class.


Gabby graduated from preschool last year with flying colors! He was the class valedictorian! To think I was still working then and I wasn't able to teach him regularly. We couldn’t have been happier that time. Fred and I were two proud parents!


This was Gabby and Sunday after their graduation last year. Sunday also attended her moving up exercises. She “graduated” from Nursery to Kinder. Gabby received his Best in Science, Best in English, Best in Spelling and another award I forgot which was for!

Time really flies, and how fast for doting moms (or dads) like us! I just hope that I will have all the energy, love and affection in the world to let my kids know that I’m always there for them, with awards or none! :)

Happy Graduation to all your kids who will graduate this March or April! Congratulations, too!

Web Hosting Help Is Just A Click Away

I should have known about Web Hosting Geeks earlier. My sister opened her business a year ago. Since most of her clients are young professionals and has access to the internet, she knows she needs a website to make her business known online. So she asked me if I know any company which offers web hosting at affordable rates. We looked for web hosting companies referred by her friends who are into IT business but we can’t find one which offers the best deals and features. There are some which offered an unlimited space but the technical support they offer is limited. Some didn’t even have space for expansion!
Upon checking Web Hosting Geeks, I knew that it has reviews, ratings and other information which will help business people like my sister in choosing the best provider for her business web site. Its blog features industry news, trends and discussions on web hosting. I especially like its articles like Avoiding Common Web Hosting Traps because it helps clients to weigh the pros and cons of deals offered by the providers.

Since my sister’s business website is still being developed and designed, I’ll ask her to try checking Web Hosting Geeks. She should compare the providers there before getting one that suits her business needs.

Earth Hour And My Kids

I’ve seen Earth Hour infomercial on my kids’ favorite cartoon channel since last week.

I asked them if they would like to join in switching off the lights for one hour today at exactly 8:30-9:30 pm. I expected the usual, “Why?” or “What is that for?” And so I explained global warming in the simplest way I can and they eventually got the idea and said yes.

But I was doubtful. Can they make it? Can I trust their yes? Can they last an hour in the dark or in just a flickering light from a candle?

I was wrong. Since their Daddy was there to supply jokes, stories and antics, that one hour were just like thirty minutes for us. There were occasional asking, “Is it 9:30 already?” or “How many more minutes?” but the laughter and shrieks just echoed in the dark dining area and made our participation in this event more enjoyable.

Here’s how my kids did their share in saving Mommy Earth:
"Is it my 5th birthday today again?""I can make a rabbit, or is it?"Can you read my hands? 6-0 minutes is equal to one hour!
One hour of bonding time with Mommy and Daddy!
When we turned on the TV and watched the program about Earth Hour and the simultaneous switching on the lights (after an hour) on different malls nationwide, I overheard Gabby say, "I love you, Mother Earth!"

One thing I admire and love about my kids is they have compassion at an early age. They easily take pity on stray cats and dogs, and even on kids living in the streets. So explaining about the sad plight of Mommy Earth is as easy as switching off the lights come sleep time! :)