Home Cleaning Tip: Grocery Bag Origami

I am really irritated to see the piles of plastic bags on our cabinet. They've been there for months!

And last Friday, I was so happy to find Niko’s post about this and how to stash them away neatly. She got the link from Kikamz. I got inspired by it that I tried folding some by following the instructions.

Hubby saw it and tried folding too. His OC side got the better of him so he took out all the plastic bags from the cabinet and folded all of them! He even taught Gabby, who upon seeing what his Dad was doing said, “Wow, Daddy! You’re doing Origami!”


before: heaps of unfolded plastic bags

after: folded plastic bags in the cabinet

Have a happy, blessed and clutter-free Sunday! :)

ShopWiki: Online Shopping Revolutionized

I really love to cook. It really is a consolation for a work-at-home mom like me to see my kids and my husband finish all the food I served, with a smile on their face while touching their full and bigger than usual tummy. After all, an empty plate is a cook’s ultimate compliment.

But on times when I have tons of things to do or errands to run, cooking becomes a chore especially when the kitchen gadgets I need are not available. The last time my husband cooked and used the equipments in the kitchen, he told me, “How come there is no garlic press here?” “But we have mortar and pestle”, I answered. “Why don’t we shop for kitchen gadgets and equipments so we’ll have an easier time preparing the food?” he said. I understand him. Having worked and lived abroad before, he was used to using cool kitchen and dining essentials.

the garlic press my husband was looking for

And that’s when we found ShopWiki, a revolutionary online shopping site that has almost everything we need. The products are categorized and the brands are in alphabetical order! We won’t have a hard time looking for the kitchen stuffs we need, with the exact specifications and designs we prefer. It offers a wide array of equipments, appliances, tablewares and organization systems and other kitchen accessories to choose from! And since more products from more stores are offered, expect great deals and savings!

Now next time you cook and your husband butts in and asks you the kitchen equipments whereabouts or the lack of them, just tell them, “How about checking them online?” :)

Best Diet Pills

I’ve always wanted to have a fit and sexy body.

But being a work-at-home mom, I tend to spend more time in front of the computer sitting and eating on self-imposed breaks. The projects I do as freelance graphic designer requires me to work at least 4-6 hours everyday and the remaining hours are then spent on taking care of the kids and maintaining the house. When all my chores and tasks are done, I’m already too tired to exercise making me gain some unwanted pounds. Going regularly to the gym also becomes a luxury due to lack of time and energy.

It’s good that there are diet pills that work. For a mom like me who still want to look fit because of its health benefits, taking diet loss pills is a welcome option. Best Diet Pills offers reviews of the best weight loss pills online. With comprehensive comparison on the formula and properties of the pills, the diet pills reviews will give health buffs and those wanting to lose weight an easy time to determine which is best for them. Reliable doctors and other medical experts back and recommend the diet pills offered so you can be sure that they’re safe and effective. With all these, choosing the best weight loss pill will be a breeze! Diet pills complimented by good diet and exercise would definitely ensure a fit and sexy body that I always wanted.

My Son's First Letter For Me

Gabby was just four and a half years old when he wrote this. And I remember too well the reason.

Gabby and Sunday were playing in our living room and I noticed that they were kind of fighting over a toy. I approached them and kindly asked them to share their toys with each other. But they wouldn’t. And so I just told Gabby to give in to his younger sister’s whim as he was the older one. I also comforted Sunday because she was already crying at that time. Gabby dropped all his toys and sulked in one corner. I approached him and told him that Sunday is still so young and that as her older brother, he should take care of his sister, not fight with her. I offered other toys which he can play and other activities just so he would divert his attention to them. I tried to console him but to no avail. So I left.

After a while, he approached me, to my relief, because I thought he understood what I just explained. But to my dismay, he handed me that letter and left. The letter said: Mommy, I’m very very mad because you are with Sunday, not me.

I was teary-eyed! It struck me really hard! It was like a slap on my face! Was I being unfair in my treatment to them? Was I being too partial to my girl that I forget my boy’s feelings? I then asked Gabby why he wrote that and he said, “You’re always with Sunday. You love Sunday more than you love me…” then I hugged him. And with that hug came a silent promise that I will try to be always fair and show that I love them equally.

Looking back, I am so grateful that he wrote that letter. It was a wake-up call for me. I am also grateful because at such a very young age, he can express his feelings well already. And I’m glad that until now, two and a half years later, I haven’t received any hate letter from him yet. :) Now, he only gives me loveletters and cards!

A Return to Simplicity

This is the last leg of my four-day run of our Pangasinan experience.

Before going there, I told Gabby and Sunday that Pangasinan is a province and people there live simply. I also told them beforehand that the town we would be staying at doesn’t have big malls and other entertainment venues which they really love to go to almost every weekend. People there eat fresh foods so they are healthier and stronger, not like urban dwellers who can eat fastfood in a flick of a finger (exagge!) or a dial on the phone. They don’t have access to internet and computers can only be found in town proper or province capital.

I was so happy they got the idea and didn’t ask for I-don’t-know-where-to-get things while we were there. :)

We indeed enjoyed our short-lived vacation there. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the kids were able to discover and see some things they didn’t know before.

the kids enjoy a makeshift seesaw wood-fueled stove artesian well, province version
(Manila version: just add a long line of water collectors)fresh seafoodstreehouseGabby and Sunday up in the treehouse!
There you go. I'm back to reality. Back to the city and back to busy-ness!
Happy Thursday to all! :)

WG3: Tara Falls, Bolinao

Sans the water sports, we are certified aquaholics!

We were about to go home on the night of Feb. 8 but Kuya Kimo, the driver of the jeepney, had stomach ache so we had to wait for him until he felt okay. He was rushed to the nearest hospital and was advised by the doctor to rest and take the prescribed medicines.

So while waiting for him to get better, we went to Tara Falls, also in Bolinao on Day 3. (That was Monday!) The super-hot weather didn’t stop Fred and I to let the kids see a waterfall and experience swimming on its waters. I like the rush of water on my back as it massages me. It was so relaxing!

PS: I just wish I have more money to always go on weekend getaways like this! :)

WG2: Patar Beach, Bolinao

Have we had enough of the beach on day 1?

I guess not! We went to Patar Beach on day 2. It's just a few kilometers away from Puerto Del Sol. The kids had so much fun!!! They're beach lovers, just like Mom and Dad! :)

WG1: Hundred Islands

Hundred Islands is one of the local tourist destinations I really dream of going to. And I didn’t know I would be able to see them this year!

It was a spur of the moment decision. My friend Nest invited us to visit her hometown Bolinao, Pangasinan. We didn’t have enough budget but we still pushed through and headed to the north last Friday.

The kids enjoyed our three days in Pangasinan! I will be posting some of the pics here this whole week. So drop by to view the images of the beautiful province of Pangasinan!


Me at the Hundred Islands National Park Information Center

The Pinoy Big Brother House where Kim and Gerald stayed

Fred at Marcos Island, one of the 123 islands

Gabby and Sunday lost count of the islands
and just got contented looking at them :)

Finally, we settled in one of the developed islands, the Quezon Island,
and swam and snorkel until most of the island guests left

Happy Tuesday and welcome back to me! :)

Mommy Moments: Preggy Days

This is my first time to join Mommy Moments and I'm excited!

I was so happy when finally I got pregnant about two months after our wedding. We really planned to have children after a year but since we were not getting any younger, we asked God to give us one the soonest.

I don’t have decent preggy pics when I had Gabby except this! I have two but I showed too much skin (read: image of my bare tummy) on the other one so I just chose this.

I didn’t know that I was already 3-4 weeks pregnant at the time this pic was taken! We went to Boracay for the first time and not knowing that I already have Gabby inside me, I enjoyed our stay there. We went island hopping, cave trekking and even swam on waters found on the cave!

I have a very easy pregnancy then. I didn’t experience morning sickness, vomiting and cravings. But I have placenta praevia. I was advised by OB-Gyne to really take extra care.

This pic was taken when I was five months pregnant with Sunday. Gabby was confined in Capitol Medical Center because of broncho-pneumonia and asthma. The doctors advised me not to visit him because I might catch viruses and bacteria which may harm Sunday. Worse, the doctors suspected Gabby might have smallpox because of the rashes he had at that time! I can't remember contracting smallpox so the nurses and other hospital staff insisted that I go home. But I still visited Gabby and took care of him. I can’t accept the fact that I’m his mom and I wasn’t there to give him his meds or just to put him to sleep. I’m still grateful to God that Sunday was born healthy and normal.

Fab Find: Princess Weds

As I’ve said on my last post, February is our wedding anniversary month.
I remember fully well that very special day!

But if only I could turn back time, I would make my church wedding elegant. Ours was a very simple one, attended by family, close friends and relatives. I would change some things like the reception venue so I can invite more and share my joy with other people I wasn’t able to invite. I would have some things custom-made to make it more memorable.

One thing I would really love to have made is my tiara. Yes, I wore a tiara! It was very simple, not eye-catching, but I still cherished the idea that I wore one in public!

Princess Weds offers handmade and customized tiaras and other bridal accessories like hair vines, arrhae, cords among others. It uses faux pearls, crystals, glass beads, and other premium materials that will beautifully coordinate with your wedding's motif. An elegant way to walk down the aisle like a princess!

Personally, I really love their hair vines!
Who knows, I might have one made for my 10th or 25th *wink* wedding anniversary!