Baby is really growing up fast and he's doing many different things now. He's also starting to speak clearer now though still baby words. I make sure he gets to interact with kids during our playtime and do activities at home like drawing, singing, dancing, fun bath time other than just watching TV. We might be a little strict when it comes to his foods and TV time but we believe it's for his own good. Though many Direct TV shows can be very entertaining and educational to babies most especially toddlers, moderation has to be given a very big emphasis. A little Sesame Street, Word World and Curious George is fine as long as you set specific time and routine making the baby understand he's not suppose to watch the whole day. Something like a treat, this way he gets to explore more on other things and develop more skills by being active.


It's hard when you have a baby at home and you just want to watch something and you know some scenes or languages won't be appropriate for the baby. Whenever we want to watch something and baby happens to be up and about I just play with him and take his attention away from the television. Sometimes it works and sometimes we just need to wait til our little boy sleeps. Sometimes we use some TV commercials which we see as morally bad to emphasize things that are good and bad. A boy grabs somebody else's things, kids pushing while playing, kids not eating their vegetables, these are some of those which we tell baby as No-No's.

I admit not all show or commercials can be diverted as a learning tool for your baby like those home security Athens, insurance deals, fastfood commercials, etc. The best that we can do is to just associate things like Cars and tell him that's a car and what's the color, animals like dogs, cats, birds. Good thing baby doesn't pay much attention to the TV since we never let him be infront the tube all the time. He'd rather play around and do his own thing.

Looks like we'll have a more relaxed labor day weekend this time around since my client already approved and she loves the final design revision I gave her the other night. After 3 major design changes we finally nailed it! Woohoo! I can take more chances in my blogging again and get to read some blogs this coming weekend. I know it's just the start of the week and I am so looking forward a long weekend, me and hubs will get the chance to play with baby and take him somewhere and have some quality family time.

I rendered quite a number of images for my presentation so I will just give you a little preview of my works to see the differences on the three schemes. At first she wanted a modern concept for her 2-bedroom condo unit then changed her mind later on and told me she wanted a cozier design. She partially approved the second scheme and we worked on the necessary changes and additions, finally the third design convinced her to go for it.

We gave much thoughts on the cabinetry and closets in the masters bedroom. She wanted to have as much closet space to avoid clutter and a nice tv stand which is also accessible to the workroom. Our kitchen had several cabinetry revisions that's why we just left it with just the basic appliance and storage. We specifically chose to use enclume potracks if ever there will be provisions for wall mounted racks. Since her kitchen is one of the first area to see when you enter the condo we had to consider aesthetics and enclume pot racks have simple yet modern designs which will best match the cabinetry and other furnitures.

Hubs also has a passion for photography and I believe we thought of having our own photo studio for business. We didn't put much thought about that because it will require lots of things before you get to establish such thing. I'm thinking if I were to do it I'll have to further educate myself about photography to know it deeper and be more efficient with production and all. I might have to take online degree programs to get the certification needed to have such business. Honestly I am not sure if I would want to extend my time with online degree programs in photography, I am quite okay with it being just a hobby.


Taking up another degree can cost you quite so dearly here and I don't have extra to spare for that. I'd rather save up the money for our boy's college funds to secure him in the future. Many students here struggle for their college having no funds to continue their schooling and we don't want this to happen to our little boy. Though you can seek free application for federal student aid (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/), having the future set for our boy will always be first among our priorities. As much as I want to know more about photography I also want my cooking skills be on the professional level. Both courses are way too expensive to begin with so I don't think it would be practical to do anything for myself just to achieve something more than what I have right now. I'll just continue snapping photos and cooking a lot, anyway those are among the things I love to do most!

 There was an article about hand dryers in which it discussed safety of use with regards to hygiene.  They said based on the study, using an air dryer can further increase the bacteria on your hands as opposed to the traditional paper towel drying.  Bacteria, germs and viruses get trapped in the dust on the screens which then is blown directly on hands as it's being dried by the air.  Honestly I don't know the real deal with this and somehow it doesn't bother me much because I still prefer the old fashioned hand wiping and drying.  I just don't like the fuss of having to stand there infront the dryer and waiting for your hands to dry.  Paper towel drying on the other hand does the work instantly.

Having said that doesn't mean I never use hand dryers, if that's the only accessible means of hand drying and I have no choice then I just use it anyway than have dripping wet hands.  I hate the long time standing infront of the dryer to totally wipe out the wetness but thanks to the newer dyson hand dryers, drying is quicker than the old models.  I like the dyson air blade hand dryer because it really scrapes the water out so fast, unlike those warm air dyers which take longer and sometimes even get too hot for the skin.  Dyson noted that their airblade hand dryers are certified as hygienic hand-dryers and energy efficient.  

Air drying or paper towel drying, both can be good or bad.  Who really knows?  I believe doing what feels most comfortable for you is the best thing to do.

A s'more (smore) which literally means "some more", is a traditional campfire treatpopular in US and Canada. It may just be a simple combination of roasted marshmallow and chocolate sandwiched between graham crackers, preparing this treat is the fun part aside from o course eating it. Although smores are mostly done outdoors during campfires it is not impossible to do indoor smores. There are s'mores kits readily available in the groceries some with burners or you can simply make use of your stove, oven or microwave to prepare this sweet treat.

Have you ever admired a truly great and interesting print hanging on the wall which gives a very rich character to a place? How about having that kind of print for yourself from the Shepard Fairey art collection. Shepard Fairey has a wide selection of prints with the highest quality images which can very much delight your eyes.

Shepard Fairey prints are guaranteed to meet your highest expectation when it comes to quality and assortment of design choices. No more hard time finding those rare collectible prints, it's all in Fairey collection. Ordering is easy with the help of a customer service representative to further assist your inquiries. Come and see what you can find for that lonesome wall of yours which needs some art.

One very important trip we made sure has to happen was our Boracay Island escapade. Me and hubs love that island and we wanted baby to enjoy it too. Mom worked on the bookings to make sure we'll have the best deals and guarantee our plane reservations done. Since Elisse still has school and mom has classes too we decided to split in two groups, me with hubs, baby, bes and dad left on Thursday so we could enjoy longer days in the island. Mom, Elisse, big bro, little sis, nanay and Chie all went together the next day. Dad is also a bit superstitious with flights, as much as possible he doesn't want all of us complete in one plane trip that's why it worked best for all of us.

It has been a tiring week since baby celebrated his birthday and we had to work on other things too. Our flight was scheduled in the afternoon so we had a bit of time to pack and take baby to the doctor for a quick check-up. I got quite worried when baby got a bit feverish that Thursday morning so mom and I rushed him to our family doctor. Good thing it's nothing bad and we were just given an antibiotic and paracetamol to suppress the fever. Baby was also teething that time and whenever that happens he always get fever. I knew baby's fever wasn't bad but since we're scheduled for a trip it's better to have him checked right away to make sure we have the necessary medicines needed also to know if it will be safe for him to go. Making sure all essentials for your baby is very important when you go off for a trip and I'm happy that mom was there to help me.

Nobody would think our little boy wasn't too well earlier that day because he's very lively and active when we reached the airport. We had some time to buy so baby enjoyed walking around the waiting area while waiting for the boarding. It was just a 30min flight going to Kalibo and a 2hr road travel to Caticlan going to the pier where we took our ferry ride to Boracay Island. Baby slept through most of the travel clutching his trendy baby blanket and I made sure he's tucked really hood inside his ring sling baby carrier when we boarded the ferry. There's no way I'd let him loose during our evening boat ride! We safely arrived in the island after a very humid travel and settled in a local hotel before heading out to dinner.

Over here me and baby always go to the parks and playgrounds near where we live. Baby loves his free time there playing with sand or exploring the playground. Since we're surrounded by parks here where we live it's very convenient to go even without having to bring the car. That's not the case in Manila, there isn't much playground equipment and if any it's always busy and definitely not friendly for a little baby like him.

We never thought the playground in SM Mall of Asia gets very crowded even at night time. We decided to walk by the breakwater just to catch some breeze and bring baby to play but to our surprise it was crammed! Small kids, big kids...they were all playing in that tiny playground! Baby's eyes were fixed looking at the colorful play area so we decided to take him nearer but as he touched the playground he wanted to go in and play. He was fussing and almost cried when we had to take him away, poor little baby wanted it so badly but it's way too unsafe for him. We managed to make him smile again after showing him the big carousel with the lights on.

Since we had to skip the playground we decided to just stroll and looked over the ocean. We enjoyed looking at the yachts and big ships while sitting peacefully away from people on the park benches. Seeing the lights of those ships made baby's eyes open wide with excitement with some twinkling like stars from afar. We later on got some picnic tables with Adirondack chairs for a lovely Al-fresco dinner by the bay. What could be more relaxing than that? Baby got too relaxed he actually fell asleep!

Even if baby didn't have any playground fun time in Manila he had some good play time with Ate Elisse and other kids in the neighborhood. Baby was so excited to be surrounded with all the kids who were running all over and just playing. My brother prepared some of the toys for Elisse and made it ready for baby to use. I grew up playing outdoors and same with hubs so it was good to see our boy having the opportunity to experience such thing too. Even if a playground is any kid's haven, nothing beats the fun of interacting and just playing around with many kids.

Our Manila trip was well planned most especially the baggage that we intend to bring. Knowing that we'll be bringing so much "pasalubong" for most people we had to be more systematic and efficient with our packing. There's no way we'll take the risk of paying excess baggage weight because that's way too expensive. Our solution was to make 2 boxes ready for shipping and sent it a month ahead before we left for Philippines. There's no specific weight limit and we're able to put everything we wanted without any worries of getting checked by customs. The boxes arrived before baby's birthday celebration and that's how we managed to give out our gifts to our friends and godchildren there.

It was a big relief when we received our boxes in Manila before we even get to see our friends. If the boxes didn't arrive on our calculated time, we'll end up having to reschedule meet-ups with everybody. Given our very tight vacation time we couldn't really afford to have several meet-ups with our friends as much as we want to. I unpacked the boxes right away after having it delivered and started distributing things around. It's so good to know that we had things running on schedule and no further delays. Elisse was so happy to receive her toys and other gifts. The boxes didn't remain empty for a long time because we made sure to use it for our baggage on our way back. Baby's gifts practically took over those boxes, he received a lot!

Bringing in our stuffs from here to Philippines didn't give us any problem at all but how about doing it the other way around? Hubs and I already thought of it beforehand, we checked out for International Movers and International Shipping companies which can handle our concern, one of which was International Sea & Air Shipping. It specializes in overseas moving through sea and air shipping. This international moving company offers door to door services with full documentation, custom assistance, insurance, shipping, storage and inland transport. We had to plan a back up system for our baggage back home in case we'll have more things to bring back here. Though we didn't find the need to use this service anymore because I was able to cut down our boxes and fit everything including baby's gifts for our allotted airline baggage.

One thing that we really make it a point to do in Manila is to visit our family dentist. They have all our medical records there and we trust them fully with our dental deals. They were the one who worked on my braces back during my college days and even after that I kept going back to them for my annual check up and cleaning or whatever treatment that has to be done.

I love our dentists, a husband and wife working in the same field with their own clinic. They are very warm and friendly and you'll never feel anxious in any dental visit to them. So good and trusted that I recommended them to my bestfriend, hubs and his parents. I think it's very important to do business with people you truly trust most especially if it concerns health and well-being.


Of course we didn't miss to visit them when we went to Manila for a 3wk vacation. Me and hubs had our cleaning and some filling for hubs. Our little boy also met them and had his very first dental check. Nothing really much to see yet for him but it's worth asking the dentist to make sure our boy's good. We'll definitely see them again on our next trip back home. It's never hard to get them to book an appointment for us, we're close enough to exchange emails and keep in touch with each other or through my bestfriend.

I used to go to this mall almost every week when I was still there in Manila. I accompany my MIL and SIL on weekends there doing groceries and other things. WE brave the crowd whenever there's an on-going sale, it really gets crazily crowded there like everybody's in the mall. During our Manila vacation me, hubs and baby revisited SM North Edsa. We liked the Sky Garden and had few photos there.

SM is one of the biggest and most successful mall chains there in the Philippines that's why it didn't surprise us anymore to see so much people that weekday. We had the chance to enjoy a bit of the garden since it's a weekday and off the rush hour, the crowd wasn't that much yet when we were taking some photos around. Baby loved the water and the rain chain like feature and kept running to play with the water.




Baby was quite fascinated with the colorful maze feature and the squiggly posts. The colors are very appealing to kids with the squiggly look and all. Baby played a bit weaving through the post and then running towards the water ponds again. We enjoyed our little trip there though we didn't stay that long. Having a baby around means a lot of compromise with time. It's nice to see and revisit places we frequent when we're still living there before. For sure next time around we'll spend longer time there and we'll even get to shop a bit and play in the arcade with baby inside the mall.

Baby J's birthday party was moved a week after his actual birthday, we celebrated his 1st birthday on our flight across the Pacific. I was checking at the time while in the plane to make sure we wouldn't miss to greet our precious little boy. What's funny is that we actually missed February 1st because we left US on January 31 at night time and by the time we landed in the Manila it's already February 2 at 3am. It's definitely a birthday experience to tell him when he grows up.


I'm so thankful for all the efforts my family gave to make baby's birthday celebration happen. Little sis gave the cake, Big bro made extra goodies and loot bags, mom reserved the venue and the photo-video coverage and dad had the custom made tarps with baby's photos printed. Me and hubs didn't really hav to do much anymore for the preparations because they all got it handled except the tarp layout. My sister worked on the initial tarps layouts then I had to edit and finish off the design.


There were so many people who attended the party, mostly our neighbors and a few of relatives and close friends. We're so thankful to see most of our friends even though we didn't really get the chance to sit down and chat with them much during the party. We had to carry baby around and entertain all other guests and make sure to keep baby's mood good. There was a magic show and games, we missed to see those events because baby will be fussy with the crowd. The least that we want was a crying birthday boy. Amazingly baby was all good the whole event and didn't get scared of the clown either.


It was a very happy event, no fussing for baby but mommy got a bit cranky due to some service issues. We took advantage of our friends being there and gave them the same time our souvenirs and also for our godchildren. Might as well since we're not sure if we'll have another chance of meeting up with them. Baby got so many gifts which filled up 2 balikbayan (cargo) boxes.