Acuaverde Beach Resort in Laiya, Batangas – A Review + Tuz’s First Birthday Celebration

November 18, 2017January 10, 201812 Comments

It’s Tuz’s 2nd birthday yesterday late evening, Nov. 17, at exactly 11:47 PM. I can still remember all the pain I went through when I was induced starting at 7AM 2 years ago, only to get an emergency C-section late that evening. Was it worth it? Definitely! Despite the fact that Tuz is now in the terrible twos stage and all my patience is running dry, having a child of my own with my very best friend in the whole universe is still the best thing that ever happened to me and I thank God each second of my life for it. ❤

We have nothing planned on the day of his birthday (yesterday) because the mountain resort we wanted to check in at here in Cagayan de Oro (Ultra Winds Mountain Resort ) was fully booked yesterday and the reservation we got was for today (Saturday 2 PM) until tomorrow (Sunday 12 NN). In the meantime, I’m going to blog about our only son’s very first birthday which we celebrated last year by staying for a night in Acuaverde Resort in Laiya, Batangas.

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Halloween 2017: How to Let Go of Attachments

October 31, 2017November 4, 20187 Comments

Whenever the “ber” months would arrive especially September, I always get excited because it means that my favorite time of the year is just around the corner. No, it’s not Christmas… it’s Halloween! Then I’d start decorating the house, I’d start buying costumes and treats, planning for a house party and scheduling other horror parties and events that my work schedule would permit (like the Nuvali Sky Cinema Event we went to around same time last year).

This year, it’s different. I’ve only come to realize that it’s already Halloween around 3rd week of October when photos of previous Halloween celebrations appeared on my Facebook memories. And instead of feeling happy about it, I felt sad. Continue reading →

Family Matters Magazine Features Momtraneur!

May 14, 201721 Comments

I’m baaaack!!!

Yep, I’m back from a very long road trip traveling almost the entire Philippines mixing business with pleasure, that is, vacationing with family and taking care of ancestral properties all over. Whew!!! That was fun and tiring and pocket-draining. Lol!

Anyway, I’m back online and let me just greet all mothers out there a Happy Mother’s Day! Honestly, I almost forgot about this special day because I’ve been super duper busy! I should’ve posted this at least a day before Mother’s Day but like I said on my previous post, Motherhood always comes first, right moms? 😉

On this particular post, I just want to share how me, Mahal and our baby Tuz got featured on FAMILY MATTERS, a Catholic Magazine which is featuring a handful of moms in time for this year’s Mother’s Day celebration. Let’s get on with it…

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Baguio Panagbenga Flower Festival 2017 Guide

February 22, 2017February 23, 201715 Comments

The Panagbenga Flower Festival 2017 is currently being celebrated in Baguio. It started on February 1, 2017 and will end on March 5, 2017. I’m not fond of festivals in general because I don’t like being with a lot of people, getting hot and sweaty (and worse, mugged!) or being caught in horrible traffic but Panagbenga Festival (aside from the Hot Air Balloon Fest) is one of those few festivals I attend almost every year. I even celebrated a long weekend here back in 2007 for my 29th birthday together with my best girls as we were also stalking Brownman Revival (we were a groupie back then, hahahah!) Gosh! That was a decade ago. (Photo below)

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Valentine’s Day Top Tips for the Luxurious, Budget-Conscious and Parental Kind

February 13, 2017February 16, 20177 Comments

It’s the eve of Valentine’s Day. Have you already thought of something special to give to or do with your significant other? Are you one of those people who loves to celebrate the Day of Hearts and make it more meaningful and special for your loved ones? Well, I am one of those people and through the years, I’ve already had my fair share of celebrating the season of love. And because of this, I’ll be sharing with you some of my most favorite Valentine’s Day celebrations that I did in the past, both big and small, expensive and affordable.

This blog post will be divided into three parts with my top 3 tips each so please bear with me. If it’s a a little luxury you need this Valentine’s Day, just read the first part. If you’re the frugal kind and it’s the budget-friendly tips you want, head straight to the second part. If you’re like me who now has a baby / toddler and you’d like a few advices on how you can celebrate Valentine’s with your spouse sans the mess a child brings into the picture, then read the third part.

So let’s begin… Continue reading →

Hello 2017! Three Questions to Ask Yourself This New Year…

December 31, 2016January 1, 201714 Comments

It’s almost 3AM, Philippine time, on the first day of the new year and this is the first time, in a long time, that I am able to breathe, relax and write down my thoughts… I hope this is a good sign… sort of like saying that the new year will bring me more relaxed moments to just be. *crossing my fingers*

Anyway, the house is now all cleaned up, quiet and dark after a whole day of preparation — running errands, picking up groceries and slaving away in the kitchen so we can all have a feast come media noche. And hurrah! Indeed, we were able to fill our dining table with yummy dishes that I think will last for another week just like our Noche Buena did last Christmas which lasted until New Year’s Eve. Hihihi! We feel so blessed! No more cooking the rest of the week, yey! I’m sure a lot of you can relate. Continue reading →

How to Take 100% Responsibility For Your Life

November 28, 2016August 20, 201936 Comments

A BUSY introduction

I know, I know, I KNOW. It’s been 10 days since my last post and I have so much to share! Before baby Tuz’s first birthday, my life partner, Mahal, and I have been having sleepless nights taking care of work, parental stuff and domestic duties because we wanted to celebrate our baby’s first birthday on the date of his birthday itself, which was the 17th, a Thursday. We could have just decided to have it on a weekend so all our work responsibilities have already been done by that time and we can all relax and enjoy our son’s birthday beach celebration. Well, we did enjoy, but it could have been better. And it’s all because we wanted it celebrated on the birthdate itself, which, now, looking back, has been a semi-terrible idea! Continue reading →

Cake Story – Our Baby’s First Birthday Bash

November 17, 2016August 19, 20196 Comments

Our precious little miracle from heaven, Baby Tuz, has just turned one. He was born on Nov. 17, 2015 at 11:47 PM after a whole day of a painfully induced labor which still ended in an emergency C-section. Still, Mahal and I are just so overwhelmed right now with so many emotions we couldn’t help but become teary-eyed with happiness… overjoy… disbelief… amazement… plus over fatigue from a full year of being full-time, hands-on, work-from-home parents with no yaya nor helper, just us three all this time. We couldn’t help but wonder how we were able to raise Tuz — a happy, fussy, gimmicky little boy who wears us out every day, every dawn and every single night to the point of insanity but whom we love so, so much!!!

Having said that, my next several posts for this month will be about our little big boy Tuz plus how we celebrated a year of sleepless nights, tremendous joy, mood swings, unexpected blessings and so much more!

Let me start by sharing with you the cake story… Continue reading →

How Can Introverts Have Baby Showers?

November 15, 2016November 30, 201615 Comments

BACKGROUND

Around Halloween last year, I was on my last few weeks of pregnancy. Baby Tuz was about to be welcomed to our little family and of course, we couldn’t be any happier and we wanted to celebrate it!

You might not believe it but I I actually googled the phrase “How Can Introverts Have Baby Showers?” Lol! I was to become a first time mom then and I’ve only attended two baby showers in my lifetime (one was for Irene and it was just over lunch among her 4 girlfriends back in early 2000 and the second one was for Jem 3 years ago organized by her friends). Continue reading →

How to Jumpstart a Healthy Lifestyle – Here are 4 Tips

November 11, 2016November 5, 201716 Comments

HOW I’VE LOST TRACK OF MY HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

We’ve been eating out a lot more frequently than usual not just because of lack of time to visit the local market for organic stuff (we have to be there by 5am to get the freshest produce and catch, unfortunately, our body clock keeps on moving because of Baby Tuz‘s fussiness) but because I’ve been feeling like celebrating lately. I know a big part of our nation and the world is mourning right now because of certain events particularly having ex-dictator/president Marcos buried in Libingan ng mga Bayani plus Donald Trump’s startling win in the recent U.S. Elections, but in spite of all of that, I want to focus on the positive and just celebrate life! Looking at our little family, we still have so many things to be thankful for, hence the eating out and mini celebrations as of late… Continue reading →