Pieces Of Our Christmas and New Year's Eve Celebration

I gave birth 21st of December. I went home immediately the following day. The remaining days before the holidays were spent cleaning the house and preparing for Christmas. Good thing that my younger sisters were both on vacation that's why they were able to help us, especially with all the adjustments needed to be made. As for me, it's been quite a challenge, because I was also undergoing post-anesthesia effects (as to what my doctor told me). My husband and my sisters were convincing me to stay in bed. But I told them that this year is way too extraordinary for me, I can't just sleep it out. It's a blessing to have Mikee around as we celebrate the birth of Christ. Our second child's coming was the most awaited for 2011.

Thank you Lord for giving me strength to make other people happy and full on Your special day. With our hectic schedule, I wasn't expecting that we will be able to fill our simple Christmas Tree, but look! :D It's piling up little by little.

Thanks to our ever-thoughtful and loving friends. More gifts were added as Christmas approaches. To be honest, my husband and I weren't able to get each other gifts on time too. After Christmas, we went out for awhile just to get presents for each other. Hehehe! funny!

Joining the pack, my husband requested for a set of Nerf guns. It's a toy not only for the little ones, but for the big boys as well. It just so happen that my brother Ver bought the very same toy too and we didn't even talk about it. So now, every boy in the family has one.

His presents for me: A Logitech speaker system Z103 "more bass, less box" with a control pod, which I badly need for my pc. I always sneak his laptop speakers, so finally now I have the perfect sound system for my computer. A 2012 planner from Fully Booked. He knows what I want: from the simplest design and the size which is easier to carry around. And a book for Beagles! They say that if you finish the whole manual on how to train a Beagle, one should be considered an expert :p

Christmas Eve was spent in our house in Quezon City. The following day, we drove to my parents' to celebrate Chritmas Day with the whole family including my grandmother and relatives from my mother's side. Our Christmas celebration was filled with so much laughter. .

We arranged some games for the kids and the adults joined to play Pinoy Henyo. It was a whole day affair and it was fun.

Welcoming 2012

Another colorful year ended and yet another one graced us with it's presence last December 31, 2011- January 1 2012. New Year's Eve, we spent it at my parents' house. My mom prepared requested dishes such as: turbo broiled liempo, chicken penne, pork menudo, siomai, fresh fruits and I made some leche flan for dessert. As we went through the night, we talked about our life as a family from the previous years and the accomplishments we made that got us to where we are right now. And then my dad shared that it's the prayer he's been saying year after year working. Of course, with faith, trust and hard work coming from our part wonderful things will happen, most of them are the least expected moments.

The Priestly Blessing

God has been gracious and kind... my family, my dad being the head of the family has a passage from the Old Testament to share--- Eversince, this prayer's been recited as we bid farewell to a good year and as we embrace a whole new beginning, various blessings started pouring in our family. Most of the time, we're given peace, good health, happiness and just being able to get by with our everyday lives as individuals, as partners, and as somebody who's able to lend a helping hand to others.

2011 has been a great year for me and my husband. December 21, I gave birth to a healthy baby boy. We have been praying to celebrate Christmas at home not in the hospital.  And for us, the timing was perfect. We were even given a few more days to prepare and rest for the holidays. I was able to regain my strength back in no time. For every year that's about to end, it never fails to grace us with a rewarding feeling of the things we have accomplished as parents. Together with my husband, we are very grateful for this role given to us. We're very thankful and humbled with another year that was made colorful for us. 

Now, another year to embrace, and I want this blessing for everyone else... It has been years... so I am handing over this family tradition of ours... for every meal shared with the whole family, a gathering... say this short prayer.

Numbers 6: 22-27

The Lord said to Moses: "Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: This is how you shall bless the Israelites. Say to them:

The Lord bless you and keep you!

The Lord let his face shine upon you (us), and be gracious to you (us)!

The Lord look upon you (us) kindly and give you (us) peace!

So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them."

Happy 2012 Everyone!

Avent Infant Starter Set

Our online baby purchase came in today. One thing that my mom taught me was never to take products that are essential for granted , especially during the first 6 months of the baby.  And on top of the list are feeding bottles. I am very particular when it comes to this matter. Simple, aside from breastfeeding, milk formula is the next option on feeding the baby. And we all know how sensitive these little angels are, as a mother,  it is important for me to use the safest and the most reliable when it comes to baby products.

Avent's been a trusted brand.
1. It's unbreakable
2. It does not contain Bisphenol A (which can cause future health problems)
3. Colic Free
4. and a complete Infant Starter Set was made available

It's been my choice even with my first child.

But before, with my first baby, Avent was only selling a set of 3 bottles. It's good to know that now, they have more options.

I waited for about a month to finally get my hands on this Avent Infant Starter Set. It's the only thing that was missing in my list of essentials for the baby. At first, I was highly considering and was about to purchase a set in a local department store for Php4000 and that does not include a Milk Powder Dispenser, a Bottle to First Cup Trainer and a Newborn Silicone Pacifier. Then, my husband suggested that we search online for possible sellers. You know what, I totally forgot that I can go online anytime and he was right, there were tons selling Avent products, not to forget Amazon.com. I was like, thank God I didn't buy the one in the department store! because online, this Avent Starter Set is being sold for a very affordable price of Php2200 and it came with some bonuses.

This Infant Starter Set contains the following:

2--- 9oz/ 260ml feeding bottles

3--- 4 oz/ 125ml feeding bottles

A Milk Powder Dispenser

A Bottle Cleaner

Bottle to First Cup Trainer

Newborn Silicone Pacifier

Now I can say that we are officially ready!

W0W's Been Keeping Me Busy Lately

No I haven't given birth to my second child yet.

No I wasn't out doing any last minute Christmas Shopping.

No, I wasn't cooking...

And Yes, I am playing online again this time under a new World of Warcraft guild.

My husband and I purposely got ready for the baby about 2 months ago. That way, on my 9th month, I won't be thinking of random stuff anymore. All we have to do is wait whenever the baby is ready to rock 'n' roll. We both want to be relaxed as we welcome our second child this month.

I enjoy playing with my new guild. A close friend invited me and my husband to move to a different realm in the Warcraft Universe. I was originally from Cho'gall. I gotta be honest, the players I work with are more friendly and they're nicer in the realm where we're at right now. There's less stress and we can work on things like raids, dungeons and even plain questing without any complaints.

0o0o

So W0W has been keeping me busy lately...

Keeping The Christmas Spirit

November 25 exactly a month from now, we will be one  with the rest of the world celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. It is the time of the year when everyone is very excited to buy decorations and presents to share with love ones and friends. The coolest season within the year when everyone's on break spending quality time with the family, joyous moments with friends and rewarding oneself with happiness and fulfillment. This year, my family and I are looking forward to 2 things.

1. Christmas

2. The birth of` our  baby boy Immanuel.

By the looks of it, preparing for both occasions is going to be a big task. I started organizing by sticking to our motif  Red & Gold. All in all, for the past 7 years we have been celebrating Christmas, we have 4 sets of colors to mix and match. Blue, Silver, Red and Gold. Red & Gold has always been presented as the colors of Christmas so we're doing it again. The Christmas menu will turn out to be the simplest, thinking that I might give birth on Christmas Day itself. If that's going to be the case, a small salo-salo in the hospital will do, and when we get home, my mom offered to prepare for a double celebration. Whatever may come, we will make sure that there's still something special served on the table this holiday season. Gifts? that's the hardest part... God help me because each day as I reach my due date, it gets heavier and heavier for me. It's hard to move around the mall searching for the perfect gift for our friends and love ones, especially with the crowd too. It may look difficult for a pregnant woman to handle these things, but as I assess the situation, you know what, if one will greatly consider that sometimes we have to give way from the things we're used to, the over-all scenario will turn out to be relaxing, there's no stress at all. My priority now is the baby that I'm about to deliver soon. And yes, God is helping me because for starters, I was able to create an atmosphere here at home clearly stating both, that Christmas is just around the corner and a baby is coming along.

An advance present to our family this Holiday Season. Another extraordinary experience given to me as I become a Mother to 2 little boys. To my family, as we celebrate Life this year.

So how's your preparation for the holidays coming along?

When you're stuck with nothing to do, listening to your favorite music... bored? maybe... fine, this happens. With just one click from viewing an old rose themed template to plain white.  I accidentally removed my old template without any backup. I got carried away when I saw the Google blah, blah, blah, new look check it out thing. I didn't know that if you click on a new template it will automatically apply (Dynamic Views). And on the upper right corner, that's where it says (back up/ restore) I tried restoring but nothing happened. Back up? I guess it's too late for that. And after my PC broke down last week, I am still in the process of gathering my old files including the template Ms. Carlota of My Web Blogs (the design of my permanent template since 2009). It sucks being stuck in this kind of dilemma. Oh man!

Anyway, just for thought and as I pull something good in this situation... Maybe it was meant to happen since my header was the picture of my son (my only child then), and considering that I'll be giving birth to my second child soon, I think it's about time to change and make space for the new members of my family. My second baby boy and of course our adorable Beagle Emo joining my eldest son.

Everything that happened tonight was crazy with mixed feelings. I felt sad because my old template was a gift from a fellow blogger. Then suddenly,  I was feeling hopeful and creative with a little hint of excitement after realizing what's about to take place on December. My life will change again. It's a start, it's an opportunity to share stories, (new stories) about my extraordinary life.

I say: I'm ready to introduce this new chapter of my life...

The Extraordinary Life of an Extraordinary Woman

Another Flip Flop Story: Love Toeberries

For the past weeks, I've been hanging out with my sisters. And when the youngsters take leadership on organizing an activity within the day, surely, the older ones will get a high dose of  what's latest in the market. One of those great finds we had are these cute pairs of  Toeberries. I have been seeing Toeberries in every local department store since last year. Well, it didn't attract me as much, because I still have my old Havaianas.

As far as I'm concerned, I stopped buying expensive rubber slippers in 2009. 1 or 2 pairs were enough.  With my younger sisters, they told me that they're not bothered whether their flip flops are from a famous brand or simply locally made. The important thing for them is that they're able to pull a whole outfit without trying too hard.

So how did I end getting myself some Toeberries? Read On...

I was at my usual weekend visit to my see my parents. That day, my husband had to go somewhere, which lead me and my son to take public transport going to my hometown. I was wearing my super old pair of black Havaianas Top. I arrived just in time at my parents' house, my slippers finally gave way and said goodbye. So I was in a dilemma where I had to buy temporary slippers just for the day. That's when I went to the nearest mall with my sisters and was able to find these cute Toeberries.

I bought 2 because it was being sold for a very affordable price of Php99 each. Very plain but they're adorable, especially for those who loves to try anything cute regardless of the brand. They also have it in purple. Comfort? I'd say 100% comfortable and it's soft.

0o0o

In line with my Flip Flop story, just this month, 2 of my oldest Havaianas died on me... I was hoping that it will last for another 2 or 3 years... But hey,  for a pair of rubber slippers,  4 years is pretty long right?. I think they served their purpose well...

With this...

Now it's time to hoard some new pairs from All Flip Flops! Don't forget their last call, 40% off for a minimum of 2 pairs of Havaianas. Promo runs until November 30 2011.