Breakfast date at Pan de Amerikana

I have never been to Pan de Amerikana and I have always been curious about why there would always be a lot of cars parked along their Katipunan branch. I think what attracts people to this place would be their quirky interiors.  The Katipunan branch even has an upside down Landrover hanging in its facade.

A few Sundays ago, my hubby and I had a quick and simple breakfast date in the Marikina branch while R was asleep.  I was excited when we reached the place.

The landscape and interiors looked inviting.

  

A Kalesa welcomes the visitors.

 

A gallery of showbiz personalities.

I was looking forward to a good Pinoy breakfast.  The price range for breakfast variety was around P90-P120.  Brewed coffee was P35, I believe.  My expectations on the food was short changed.  The portion was so small that we had to order an additional Ilocano longganisa which by the way surprised me that it cost P40 and that sole longganisa was just as big as my thumb, even a little smaller.

Tocilog.

                  

Longsilog

  Yes, I was not too happy about the food. But hey, you will  never know until you tried.  So there goes my bittersweet experience. 

Fun at Fun Farm

We spent Mother's day at Sta. Elena Fun Farm in Cabuyao, Laguna.  Our reservation was at eight o'clock in the morning.  It was pretty early, but with unbearable heat now a days, I think it was a wise choice.  There was no traffic, the heat was forgiving and best of all, we had the place to ourselves for the first hour! I didn't want to bring lunch anymore,  so we grabbed some drive through along the way.  There is a Pavilion where you can leave your foood and other stuff while you tour the farm.

I love the concept of Fun farm.  It teaches kids to care and respect animals and a great reminder to all of us how great the outdoors are - to drop our phones and be one with nature.  We rarely get to see huge spaces in the city and this was a breather.  There wasn't any air conditioning but we didn't mind the heat at all. Just remember to bring extra clothes and towels since it's inevitable that the kids would run around and get dirty.

It was our first time here and I wasn't sure how R would react. He is afraid of animals.  But to my surprise, it just took him a little prodding to feed the rabbits and guinea pigs.  And before we knew it he was having a ball feeding them. He also rode the horse and loved the Carabao ride.  The highlight of the trip for me was when he obliged to try the zip line.  I think my hubby and I were more scared!  He enjoyed it so much that he went for it three times!  It was a joy seeing him discover new things and concur his fears.

         My favorite structure in the farm

          Panoramic view of the farm. 

                     The wash area.

      Quotable Quotes around the farm.

        How cool is this vintage truck ?

      Dad and R feeding the guinea pigs.

        Time for some physical activities.

     At first he was covering his face with his hat, but in the end he had a blast pretending to be Woody.

           Out first ever Carabao ride!

 

      Guess who caught a fish? Mommy!

      Sand adventure for the kids and kids    at heart.

                   Mommy a Tractor!

                     My brave boy! 

For reservations, you may contact 

+63 920 913 1349.

Fee: P300/ head

Tips:

- book in advance

-go in the morning

-bring your own food, utensils and drinks

-bring a change of clothes

-bring a hat

Toddler activity

I found this DIY puppet in Kidzart SM Hypermart during R's artclass a few months back.  I saved this knowing that he will have some downtime during Summer vacation. It was his first attempt to sew and Im glad he enjoyed it, though he stopped half way through.

I think he got tired sewing with all the holes. But that was not bad for a first timer.   We can go back and finish sewing when he is ready.

Happy Saturday!

Goodbye Popoy

It was 4am on a Tuesday. I rushed to the parking lot in the office, went inside my car and called my brother through FaceTime.  I had to talk to Papa.  I do not know if I will ever get to talk to him again.  It was a brief but special video call. "I love you Papa!" I said.  He removed his mask and told me " I love you. I love you very much and you know that."  His voice was so clear and loud, as if he were fine.  My brother quickly prodded him to put his mask back and had to bid me goodbye immediately because of fear of overstimulation.  That was the last time I heard his voice.  

Up until his last moments, Papa continued to be a source of strength for everyone.  His body may have withered, but his mind was still very clear.  He continued to make his loved ones laugh and sang to his youngest great grandchild during his last few hours. 

On the 5th of February at 1:23am, my grandfather went home to be with his Creator.  He was  surrounded by my grandma, his children, sons and daughter in law, and grand kids.  Just like our Sunday gatherings everyone was there, keeping it together and comforting one another.  How I wished I was there, too.  

Thank you Papa for all the beautiful memories and for equally loving all your grand kids. Thank you for making us always feel special and loved.  Thank you for making me feel like I am the best cook in the world when I made you Salpicao. Thank you for dotting on my son even if it meant only seeing him through FaceTime. Thank you for being so proud of me when I got my new job a few months back.  

Now that you are in heaven, please give Vito a hug and a kiss for me.   I know you are having a grand time there, watching over us.

We will miss you so much, Papa. We love you, until we meet again.

                                    

               Papa was just in his mid 40's when he had his first set of grand kids-my brother and I.

                          We were lucky to have been able to spend a lot of time with him.

         

 This was in 1989 when majority of the clan was still living in the Philippines.  Every a Sunday, we had dinner at Mama and Papa's place and heard mass together. 

 

A Seoul-fall experience (Part 1)

This is a super late post!  But I just wanted to share with you our fall experience in Seoul last November 2014.  I am no K-pop fan, but I fell in love with the place.  I think I like it more than HK because it has more cultural heritage (yes, I am a changed woman) and more laid back. Wow, I cannot i believe i said that!  Probably because of age I would now rather visit historical places than go shopping.  My hubby and I are more into food tripping.  And that's the reason why I gained a couple of pounds in just four days!

For this trip, we wanted to try something different. We stayed in a hostel for a change.  I researched travel blogs and decided to stay at  Global Hostel which is located in the heart of  Myeongdong. Although there is a little hike going to the hotel, it was a very good location because it was near the airport bus pick up and drop off point, near the subway, and there is a lot of restaurants within the neighborhood.  Another plus is that it is just a 10-15min walk (hike) going to the cable car that will lead you to the N-Seoul tower.  Before booking, I knew what to expect - a small room and a super tiny bathroom. But I realized that next time I would prefer a bigger room and definitely a bigger bathroom!  Overall though we still had a pleasant stay at the hotel because it was clean and the staff were really nice and helpful.  The hostel also has a small dining/ kitchen area, free coffee, toiletries, and wifi.  Total amount spent for the hotel was less than P10,000 for 3 nights and 4 days which is really not bad!

Global Hostel, Myeongdong.  Just remember when you see Mini- stop, turn right and you would have to walk up hill going to the hotel.   

First Order of business was to eat!  Two two chicken was located near the hostel so we gave it a try. Chicken and beer on a cold night was the perfect combination!

              

         This I believe was good for at least 3-4 persons.  But hubby and I finished everything!  

We arrived on a Friday night and all the restaurants were still open even at 12 mn!

Hubby's birthday Staycation

I don't know about you but I find staying in hotels so relaxing.  There is a certain calmness that I feel whenever I stay in one.  Probably it's the lush beddings, the breakfast buffet, and the interiors.  One day, when we have our own house, we will have our own 'hotel like' bedroom.  For now, let me just dream.

Last week was the Hubby's birthday.  I was planning to have dinner with him on the day of his birthday, but I had to be at the office by 8:00pm.  It was also such a hectic week at the office that I was yearning to have some R&R.  Since it was his birthday, we decided to celebrate his birthday at Edsa Shangri-la Hotel in Ortigas.  They have  an ongoing promo called Book and Buy at P7,700 nett in a deluxe room with breakfast buffet for 2 at HEAT.  All you have to do is call the hotel, book and pay via credit card over the phone.  Regular rate is at P9K+, so this was a steal.

The bed is just so inviting!  I can sleep here all day.

We stayed on the 12th floor of the Tower Wing.  I believe they had this renovated because the last time we were here 3 years ago, the room felt a little old.  But now, it feels so clean and bright and i love the splashes of blue!

Paradise in the city.

A place where both parents and kids will enjoy.

R having fun in the mini water playground.

R watching Daddy swim.  They also have life vest jackets for the kids.  So no need to worry if you forgot to bring your kid's floaters.

We had so much fun just hanging out and just spending time with little R.  It's was an escape within the city.  Hope you had a wonderful and restful weekend as we did.

Welcome to my new world!

As I write, it occurred to me that I have been back in the workforce for a month now.  Wow, I survived my first thirty days as a working mom!  You might not know it, but my absence in the blogging world was because of this new chapter in my life, or should I say in our lives.  It was not an easy transition especially with R.  Even before I got a job, I was already prepping him for months, telling him that mommy will soon need to work.  However, no amount of preparation prepared me for the first two weeks that I started going to work.  R would force me to remove my clothes whenever he would see me dressed up for work or he would say that he will go with me and needs to change. He would cry whenever I would say goodbye.  My heart broke every time and I forced myself to make goodbyes quick.  Soon, he figured our new set up and adjusted to our 'new life.'  I was both relieved and saddened realizing that there was a time wherein R and I were inseparable.  

The last three and a half years that I spent with R is incomparable.  There is no monetary equivalent and no amount of promotion can ever equate to it.  I am thankful and blessed to have been given the opportunity to experience it.   Nevertheless, despite our new set up, Motherhood continues.  It's just that I need to juggle two jobs now.  

I remember someone asking me how I would be able to manage especially that I would be in the graveyard shift. I am not able to sleep eight hours a day anymore.  Before my bed time, I bring R to school and wake up a few hours before going to the office to play and either have merienda or dinner with him.  It is difficult, but doable.  We are lucky to have a support system that entails us to make it work.  I am thankful that my parents are still willing and able to be with my son while I sleep during the day, which lessens the stress on me since I know he is in good hands.   Hubby takes over at night and weekend mornings so that I could catch some sleep and prepare myself for our weekend activities.  Weekends are extra sacred this time around since these are the days when we focus all our attention to our small family and just be with R.

SAHM or  WAHM or working mom, there will always challenges. The magnitude of stress may sometimes be amplified in one, but all of us are in the same (motherhood) boat.  While I can say that I have experienced being a SAHM and working mom, there should be no debate or discussion on who is better because at the end of the day, we will always have the best intention for our families.