My New Café

Have you visited my café lately? Since I have nothing to do when I was at home when I was on sick leave, I busied myself playing Café World. LOL. And one day I got bored and decided to spice up my Café.

So from this:

Here is my improved Café:

I got the inspiration from Mai, and decided to divide my Café into four sections too. I have more than 500,000 coins and I spent almost all of it purchasing new floors, new decors, new walls and I was even able to buy a pool table using my CW Cash.

I love the look of my new Café. Sometimes I will just log in to Café World and just stare at it while customers come in and out of my Café. LOL. Hubby was just laughing at my new found hobby but he is glad that at least I found something that I can do while I am just at home.

Back to Work

Last Monday was my first day back at the office after being on sick leave for more than a month. I was having separation anxiety because I have been so used to being with Bela 24/7 that I find it really difficult to leave her early in the morning. Luckily, hubby was there to support me. (Thanks dad!). He was even calling me several times during the day to check how I was doing.

I spent the whole day fixing my office furniture as my office was such a mess, then I cleaned up my emails as I have tons of unread emails sitting on my Inbox, then I finished inputting my stats that I was not able to do before I went on leave.

I am very thankful for my supervisor and my colleagues because they have been really supportive and understanding of my condition. They particularly instructed me not to leave my room and just answer the phone so I won’t be that stressed out even if I am already back to work.

During my first two days, I was so tired as soon as I reached home. Maybe I got so used to just lying around at home for one month that I am not used to doing any work already. LOL. But during my third to fifth day, I was already well adjusted and the fact the Howell is fetching me everyday really helped me.

I hope that the baby and my condition will remain like this until my full term. I’m really crossing my fingers and I am really praying hard that God will always take good care of us.

Happy Anniv

Yesterday was our 5th year wedding anniversary. I can’t believe that it has been five years already and it looks like we are still newlyweds. Not because we have not grown as a couple, but because we’re still the same - sweet, cheesy, thoughtful, when we first became a couple. LOL.

I was just sorting through our pictures to walk down the memory lane, from our days when we we’re still boyfriend – girlfriend, to our wedding pictures and now that we are already a family (though my laptop is really slow and I admit that I really need to buy memory. LOL) and I must say that I will never trade my life that I have right now for anything. I am the luckiest woman on earth for being married to Howell. He is the most caring, thoughtful, loving, patient and responsible person I have ever known and I am really lucky to have him as my husband.

Thank you for everything dad – for taking care of me and Bela and our second baby, for being ever so patient and putting up with my toyo, for simply just loving me for who I am. I love you so much and Happy Anniversary.

As we turn 5

I almost forgot that next week will be our fifth year wedding anniversary. I really have no idea on what gift to give hubby. Luckily I was chatting with my friend who owns a Chrysler and Cadillac and he gave me the link of CARiD where he usually orders cadillac accessories and chrysler accessories.

I tried browsing the site and I really realized that this would be a perfect gift for hubby. If bags and shoes are one of the things that make women happy, then same is true for car accessories to men so I am sure hubby will really love my gift for him if I accessorize his car.

I browsed the site and I really loved the chevy accessories on their site but we don’t own a Chevy and all we have is just a Toyota Vios. Every major manufacturer is available from CARiD so I am sure that with the wide selection of premium-made accessories from CARiD, I will surely find the perfect accessories for my husband’s car that will surely add spunk, beauty and style that I am sure my husband will really love.

Old Navy's Magical Mystery Offer

Are you ready for some mystery? Old Navy is having a Magical Mystery offer.

This Magical Mystery Offer is for one week only and is exclusive for online purchases only. You can save either 15%, 20%, 40% or even 50% discount on all your Old Navy online purchase. To discover your discount offer, all you have to do is enter this code: MJ78D9RMKF6L upon check out.

I was just checking the blouses and pants from their maternity line and I already saved a few items on my shopping cart so this promo is really a perfect timing. Check out Old navy website now and discover your mystery discount upon checkout.

Shopping for Maternity Clothes

Finally I was able to go out and go to the mall today. I will be going back to work on Monday and I realized that I don’t have any nice office clothes to wear. I am already on my 4th month of pregnancy and all of my old clothes (especially the slacks and pants) no longer fits me anymore so I decided that I really need to do some shopping for maternity clothes.

I saw the point of purchase displays of Gingersnaps and noticed also that they are on Sale too so I was really encouraged to check out their items. I found one black wrap around blouse which is really nice and I can even use it after I give birth but I find it too pricey. So I end up checking their items on sale and went home with this:


A blouse and a dress all on sale. Though I noticed that the sale items that I was able to buy from Big and Small is cheaper compared to Gingersnaps. The blouses from Gingersnaps are from P500-650 whereas the blouses from Big & Small are only from P280 – P350.

But I am glad that I was able to buy some nice maternity blouses. At least I can say now that I am quite ready to go back to work on Monday.

HBD to Me

Last Tuesday, I celebrated my 32nd birthday. I told hubby that I have no plans to celebrate my birthday. I don’t know but for some reasons, I am not in the mood to celebrate. It might be that my pregnancy hormones is playing with my emotions that is why I am KJ and I don’t want to party. It can be also that I am just plain lazy. Or maybe I am not in the mood because I feel old already. Imagine, my age is no longer in the calendar (that is why I am seriously looking for a life insurance policy because I realized I am really not getting any younger).

The weekend before my birthday, hubby wanted to go to Tagaytay for an overnight stay to celebrate my birthday but I was too lazy again to look for an accommodation and arrange the booking. Then he suggested for a day trip at Subic but I told him that I just wanted to stay at home and sleep. LOL.

But you really can’t stop my family from preparing something for me to celebrate my birthday. Hubby brought home pizza and he coordinated with my aunt and my aunt cooked chicken and spaghetti (which they know I have been craving for a long time now). Grace brought silvanas, siomai and buco pandan salad from Nathaniel’s which is really so yummy.

At the end of the day, I realized that no matter how old I get, birthdays can be extra special if celebrated with family. Thank you to my family (hubby, Bela, my parents, cousins, siblings, aunts and uncles) for making my day extra special. Thank you also to all my friends who remembered me on my special day. I really appreciate it.

@ 18 Weeks

I was searching for auto insurance online as we need to renew ours for the car that we bought but then I got busy reading information about my pregnancy when I landed on the site of BabyCenter.

They have a pregnancy calendar and according to their calculations, I am already on my 18th week. By this time, my baby is almost about 5 1/2 inches long and about 7 ounces in weight. I will start to notice my baby move by this time also (actually I have been feeling my baby move since about two to three weeks ago). I also read that if I am having a baby girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place by now and if I am having a baby boy, his genitals may be noticeable already but there is still a tendency that it will not be evident during ultra sound (So I guess I really have to wait for a few more weeks or even months for another ultrasound if I really wanted to be sure of my baby’s gender).

The lola’s and lolo’s can’t wait already for the gender of the baby (I think they are more excited than us. LOL). I plan to have a 4d ultrasound, just like what I did with Bela either on the 6th or 7th month depending on my doctor’s advice. I saw a new ultrasound center in SM San Lazaro and their rates for 4D Ultrasound are cheaper compared to the rates of the big hospitals but I have to check for feedback first.

I hope and pray that I will have a safe pregnancy and no more bleeding for me so I will arrive at full term with no problem.

Momease Diaper Bag Converter from Indigo Baby

I was a bagaholic last year and bought quite a number of bags (that is why I promise and I will really try to say no to bag shopping for this year. Good luck to me. LOL). And before the year ends, I received another big bag from my kumare which I think I can use as a diaper bag. This gave me an idea that instead of buying new diaper bags for Baby # 2, I can make use of my old bags (specially the big ones) as an alternative diaper bag and I just discovered (as suggested by my co-pregnant friend, Joy) the perfect tool to help me convert any ordinary bag into a diaper bag.

Introducing, Momease Diaper Bag Converter from Indigo Baby Multiply site:

As described from Indigo baby’s site:

MOMEASE diaper bag converter creates additional compartments for your bag so that you can carry your baby's things and your stuff in an organized manner.

MOMEASE diaper bag converter has the following features:

2 long open compartments
1 long zippered compartment
4 vertical pockets
2 bottle holders
1 keyholder

BONUS:
1 diaper pad
1 large water resistant pouch which can be used to carry your items or your baby's soiled clothes or your baby's toys or even food.
Velcro attachments (to connect 2 Momease diaper bag converter for more compartments)

Made of a water resistant fabric. A brighter colored fabric is used for the inside layer so you can see items stored here easily.

These diaper bag converter comes in two sizes:

Small (7.5" x 10" x 4") p470

Large (11" x 12.5" x 5") p490

I will definitely order one from them.

Picture snagged from Indigo Manila Multiply Site.

On Monday

I am going back to the office on Monday. It is difficult to convince myself that it’s time to go back to work again especially since I have been at home (doing nothing, just lying around the whole day, eating, sleeping, watching Bela, watching TV, etc) for more than a month. LOL.

But I guess my brain has been idle for more than a month already and it really needs some exercise so I guess, since my doctor assured that it is already safe to go back to work, next week would be the perfect time for me to go back to the real world.

Though I will terribly miss Bela and I am sure it will take a while for her to get used to me going back to work again, there are a lot of things to look forward to as I go back to work:

• I miss my modern office furniture that I don’t have here at home (all we have is a mono-block chair that goes with our computer table).
• I miss my colleagues who are my good friends also.
• I miss work. This may seem weird and unusual but I miss it since it is where we get the money for the food that we serve on our table.
• I miss the challenges that work brings. The only challenge that I get here at home is the challenge of cooking a new recipe every time I play Café World. LOL.
• I miss going out. I miss commuting.

I guess there are still a lot of good things that I can list as reasons for me to go back to work on Monday. And I am really lucky that I have a very supportive supervisor and colleagues who understood my situation and are very supportive of my condition and I am very thankful for all of them. See you all on Monday!!

Meet Jasper & Spike

Aren’t they the cutest?

These are Jasper and Spike, my dad’s shitzu. Spike was a gift from my brother when the original Spike (a gift also) died while we we’re in Singapore. My dad was really devastated upon knowing that his pet Spike died while he was away and he was blaming himself because he is thinking that if he did not leave his pet behind, Spike might still be alive. So my brother bought a new shitzu for my dad who looks exactly alike the original Spike. Jasper on the other hand is a gift from my mom’s good friend Noemi (she is the one who gave me her LV Speedy 25. LOL).

Bela loves Spike and Jasper. She is even asking for a shitzu also as her pet but we already have a Labrador, and since we don’t have a pet insurance, it is quite expensive to maintain. And according to my dad, shitzu is even high maintenance than our Labrador because he needs to send it to Pet Care for grooming plus the immunization and check ups when it is still a baby. Hubby wants a pug for Bela but I told him that maybe when Bela is old enough to care of her pet herself. We can’t event take good care of Sassy, our Labrador, and then we will get another pet. At least Bela have dog stuffed toys and that will do for now. LOL.

Yaya Less

Howell is at home today because she will be accompanying us to the doctor. You see, I am yaya less again. I had my old yaya for almost eight months already. Actually, we really don’t like her 100% because she still needs monitoring and she can’t even follow simple instructions like how to work with our toggle switches and you can’t trust her in giving medicines to Bela because I caught her one time just getting the medicine bottle from the ref (when actually it is Howell’s medicines) and she will administer it to Bela without even reading what is written on the bottle. If you give instructions to her, you have to repeat it 5-10 times before she can follow it correctly. But she is patient with Bela and Bela likes her too so Howell said that she is worth keeping.

But then every time she goes on a day off, it will always take at least five days before she goes back to work. That is no problem actually since she rarely goes on a day-off but I told her several times that she has to tell us in advance so we can make the proper arrangement. The last time she went on a day-off, she didn’t even text me that she can’t home on the agreed day that she will come back. Luckily (or not), the sister of the maid of our neighbor was looking for work also and so I accepted her and asked my old nanny not to come back anymore.

It turns out, the new yaya is worst than my old. LOL. (I guess the joke is on me. LOL). I can’t even stand her. I taught her how to use the microwave oven, the stove, the DVD player but all I hear from her is “I don’t know.” Simple instruction on how to prepare Bela’s milk, she can’t even follow. And then she tends to make up stories. She went out to throw the trash and she was gone for like thirty minutes and her reason was my grand mother called her so my grand mother has someone to talk to and when I asked my grand mother it is even not true. Sometimes I will look for her and she is nowhere to be found only to find out that she is at her sister’s place. One time she woke me up because she needs to ask for permission if she can go to her sister. Hello, I am sleeping. Can’t you wait for me to wake up before you go on an escapade. Very frustrating indeed. And then after five days of staying with us, she asks if she can go on a day off because her husband had an accident and she needs to go to the hospital. I learned from the sister that it is not true and so I told her that she can go and don’t bother coming back.

Now I am yaya less for almost one week now. I am still on leave until next week but I hope I will be able to get a yaya soon before I go back to work.

Lovin’ It

I saw my kumareng Kathy post this in her facebook account and I lavet!! I was watching the Daily 10 on ETC and they say that boots is one of the “in” thing this 2010. If only I am not pregnant, I might have ordered one already as it really looks really cool and trendy. I am just not sure though if I can carry it, the way the models carry it especially it looks nice if you will be wearing short-shorts or skinny jeans (which is really not possible now that my baby bump is so obvious).

But to make up for my frustration with boots, I just bought two pairs for Bela instead and she loves it too. At first she said “Oh, boots, for rainy days!” But I explained to her that she can wear even if it’s not a rainy day and then she said “Oh, yes. For cowgirls.” LOL.

She wore this during her Christmas party at school. This boots I got at a very cheap price from SM.

This one arrived two days before Christmas and it is on sale too.
Doesn’t she look cute and pretty?

Spring (Winter) in Canada

It is below zero in Ottawa, Canada and my friends there are online and are wishing that they are here in the Philippines during this cold winter season (well at least they have electric blanket to heat them up).

I remember when I last went to Canada, was last October 2001 and it is just fall and I am already freezing. I am already wearing thermal underwear, pants, long sleeves-knitted blouse and two layers of thick jacket. Plus I also have a scarf and gloves. I can hear the locals, every time I go out, talking about me and they are laughing because I am all geared up for winter and it is not even winter yet. Well, they have to understand. I came from a tropical country where normal temperature is between 25-30 degrees Celsius so a 1-5 degrees temperature was way too cold for me already. LOL.

But I love fall. It is the best weather for me. The weather is not too hot and if I wear the right clothing, it is still not too cold for me. And I was lucky because I was able to see the first snow fall when I first went to Canada. I am not sure when I will be coming back to Canada (maybe next year) and hopefully I get to bring Bela (baby # 2 might still be too young for travel if we go to Canada next year) with us this time so she can get to experience snow which is one of her ultimate dreams. LOL

On Checkup..Pedia...and Big School

We are going to St. Luke’s today for Bela’s checkup. Her cough has been on and off for more than two weeks now so I am a bit alarmed. Actually her real pediatrician is at Chinese General Hospital and we consulted her about this problem but her suggestion didn’t seem to solve the problem. So we decided to consult Bela’s Developmental Pedia instead. His professional fee is expensive actually (triple than the professional fee of Bela’s Pedia at Chinese General so I am really looking for a cheap health insurance that can cover our consultation fee with him) but he is really good and he really pays attention to his patients that is why he was able to diagnose correctly and effectively the problem.

Just like when Bela has colds for more than two weeks also. We initially consulted our pediatrician in CGH but she just suggested that we refrain from using powder and she just prescribed a medicine for Bela’s colds but still Bela’s colds persist. So we went to Bela’s pedia in St. Lukes and diagnosed that it is an allergy and gave her a medicine for it. After taking the medicine in just a couple of days, the colds are gone.

I am hoping that it is just allergies again and a simple medicine for allergy will cure Bela’s colds. And by the way, the reason why I want to visit Bela’s Developmental Pedia is to consult him also if Bela is already ready for big school. If you will read Bela’s blog, I have numerous entries there about my dilemma if we should send Bela to big school this school year or not. I already talked to Bela’s teacher and she assured me that I should not worry because she is sure that Bela can adjust to the big school setup. I want the opinion of Bela’s developmental pedia this time. Their opinions really matter to us and it will surely help us arrive at a better decision regarding Bela’s schooling.

Election Time Again

Campaign period hasn’t started yet but our community is already filled with posters from politicians with their Holiday greetings. Some are old timers who finished their three-term as councilors and are running again for re-election. Some of them are even too old already (that they really need hair loss treatment) but still would run for office. LOL.

Honestly, I don’t know who to elect for the local candidates. Some of them I don’t even know if they have done anything as a legislative officer. All I know is that I am definite who to vote for congressman.

I am giving a warning though to Ms. CD that I hope she will not make a big fuss about the coming election and I hope she will learn to respect the beliefs and opinions of other people. I remember from last election, she called my mom (who is a barangay chairman) and she said some really nasty things about my mom, like maybe my mom received a huge amount from our mayor that’s why my mom was supporting a different candidate for Congressman than the one that she is supporting. Since my mom is more educated than her, my mom just replied in a very polite tone by telling her that we are a poor family but we never trade our beliefs in exchange for money. My mom said that her kids received good education and have good job right now and we will not need anything from politicians just to survive.

Just like what my friend had told me, people like her do all that they can to stay with a politician because they are nothing and they have no where else to go if the politician that they are supporting loose. So I hope it will be a peaceful election this time and I hope I will not be hearing anything from the big bad wolf Ms. CD who is like a big fly (disgusting and has no breeding) sitting on top of a carabao.

Maternity Belt Rocks

I was finally able to buy a maternity belt as recommended by my good friend Joy, who is also four months pregnant like me. I was supposed to order it from Indigo Baby’s online site but my PayPal is zero balance and I am too lazy to go to the bank to make a deposit so I just decided to get it from Havin’ A Baby (I was even able to pay via credit card).

I tried it already a few days ago and I was able to wear my skinny jeans and my shorts. The first time I try it was with my skinny jeans and I wore the belt that is about 4 inches long. It was a bit loose that the jeans were falling as I try to talk. Joy suggested that I use the belt that is just about two inches long instead (I did not use it because I thought it is use as a side belt only). And I am glad I tried it because it is just perfect.

Joy is really correct, this maternity belt is really practical because I can use my old wardrobe instead of buying expensive maternity clothes. Now all I have to invest in are long blouses to cover the belt. Kudos to whoever invented the maternity belt!!

Picture snagged from Moms-RUs.

Reminiscing

My friend is in panic because she is getting married this May. May is just a few months away and she said that she wants to be really pretty and sexy on her wedding day and she feels that she doesn’t have enough time to loose all her unwanted fat. I told her to read about quick trim reviews so she can find the best weight loss product that will help burn her fat quickly. She said that she can’t proceed with the wedding preparations with this in mind so she really needs to find the best weight loss solution soon. LOL.

You can never really blame her. Of course everybody wants to look good in one of the most memorable event in a girl’s life. I remember, I was like my friend too because I went on a diet because I also want to look sexy and pretty on my wedding day. But I was so stressed out during the last leg of the preparation that I loose weight and I ended up looking too thin. LOL. But all my friends said that I was really glowing when I walked down the aisle. Who wouldn’t glow when you see the man of your dreams in front of the altar eagerly waiting for you so both of you can promise forever in front of God and in front of all your loved ones. (Ok, I am beginning to be cheesy now so I better stop this. LOL).

Baby Talk

Look at how fat I am now.

And I am just on my fourth month. I am not into sweets now but my appetite has really increased (doubled or even tripled than what I usually eat).

I am sure that I will need the best weight loss pills as soon as I give birth to help me get back to my pre-pregnancy weight fast. I remember when I had Bela, it took me more than seven months to loose weight. I was so fat during her Christening that I really had a hard time looking for nice clothes to wear that will hide my fat. I envy my good friend Jacqui because in less than a month, she was able to get back to her pre-pregnancy weight. She said it is because she stays up late taking care of her baby and because of breastfeeding also. I hope I will be like her too.

But, I guess weight issue is the last thing that I should be thinking right now. My prayer goes for my baby. I hope that he or she will be healthy and will not have any complications like her Ate Bela. I can be as heavy as 400 lbs but as long as my baby is healthy, then I will be the happiest person on earth.

Help Girls!!

Girls, I need budgeting advice please. How can I say no to these nice Fossil watches and Coach bags from Faye’s site.

This has been a good week for all of us, I know, but I still have to keep my promise that I will really try to do less shopping this year and I will try to put more money to our savings account. I am really glad that I am just a few dollars away to meet my quota for this month. This quota includes the money that I need to pay my credit card bills (see, I am getting money from my sideline instead of from my salary to pay my credit card bills), my monthly due for our Paluwagan, and the money that I promise to save every month for our baby’s Christening. Maybe if I finally meet my quota, I will splurge a bit to reward myself for all the hard work that I have been doing. Diba, we deserve a reward once in a while, right. LOL. So for now, these bags will just be in my wish list.

Me on my Fourth Month

So what should I expect on my fourth month? I got this information again from “What to Expect when You’re Expecting” book.

What you can expect at this month’s checkup:

This month you can expect your practitioner to check the following, though there may be variations depending upon your particular needs and your practitioner’s style of practice:

• weight and blood pressure
• urine for protein and sugar
• fetal heartbeat
• size of uterus, by external palpitation
• height of fundus (the top of the uterus)
• hands and feet for edema (swelling), and legs for varicose veins
• symptoms you’ve been experiencing, especially unusual ones
• questions or problems you wish to discuss

What you may be feeling:

You may experience all of these symptoms at one time or another, or only a few of them. Some may have continued from last month, other may be new. You may also have additional, less common symptoms:

• fatigue
• decreased urinary frequency
• an end to, or decrease in, nausea or without vomiting (in a few women, morning sickness will continue; in a very few, it is just beginning)
• constipation
• heartburn, indigestions, flatulence, bloating
• nasal congestion and occasional nose bleeds; ear stuffiness
• pink toothbrush from bleeding gums
• increase in appetite
• mild swelling of ankles and feet, and occasionally of hands and face
• fetal movement near the end of the month

Emotionally:

• instability comparable to premenstrual syndrome, which may include irritability , mood swings, irritability, weepiness
• joy and or apprehension
• frustration
• a feeling you’re not together. You’re a scatterbrain, you forget things, drop things, have trouble concentrating

Updates on my Pregnancy

I had my check up again last January 5 and for this week; I will now be on my 17th week. I am already passed my first trimester so I am hoping that I will feel better now. I no longer feel nauseated though I still vomit once in a while at night. My doctor also changed my prenatal vitamins. She also reduced the frequency of my intake of Duphaston and I just have to take it for another week and I am finish with this medicine.

I also had my ultrasound and the results look good. I need to take two more weeks of bed rest then I can go back to work on the 25th of January. I miss the office already. I miss my friends there and my colleagues. But my problem now is that I got so used to being with Bela the whole day, 24/7, for more than a month so I am not sure if I’ll ever be used to leaving Bela again to work.

But I guess, bills have to be paid and no matter how much I wanted to stay at home and just be with Bela, it will never be an option. LOL. But I am glad that in less than two weeks, I will be released from my house arrest and this means that the baby is safe and hopefully it stays that way until my full term.

I Hate Reckless Drivers

I am not sure if I blogged about this but a few months ago, our car was hit by a truck while it is parked outside our house. There was someone who is moving in and is driving a small truck to move their things in. The first time they arrived, my mom already noticed that he was a reckless driver as he drive backwards without even looking if there are kids playing at his back and he drive backwards so fast, as if he doesn’t mind if he hit something or not.

Then they left to get more things from their old house and when they returned that is when he hit our car. I was surprised when my mom’s friend called us from our house to inform us of what happened. And the sad part is, the truck that he is using is not insured. Maybe since he is a reckless driver and he has a bad driving record, he is finding it hard to get auto insurance. I told him that he better get a high risk auto insurance since it looks like he is prone to driving accidents because of the way he drives.

My dad is really right. No matter how good a driver you are, you can never really get out of accidents like this because there are a lot of crazy and reckless driver out there just like our new neighbor.

Accident

A few days ago, I went to visit my OB for checkup and when we were done with my consultation, she shared with me what happened to her friend who is a neurologist at the same hospital where my OB is working. Her friend got hit by a truck and is now in the ICU because she was hit badly.

So I suggested that they should contact a Personal Injury Attorney Omaha to help them with their case. Lawyers from Demerath Law Office can help them investigate the case and identify those parties who should be held accountable for the accident. With this, they will be able to get a fair settlement for the accident that has been done to my OB’s friend. Or if ever they need to go to court, lawyers from Demerath Law Office can give them a fair trial and might even get an early resolution to the case because of their extensive experience in these kinds of cases.

Loving our Katrice Wear

Bela and I wore matching clothes again last New Year’s day. I got this long jersey dress from Katrice Wear when I was able to check out the bazaar at SMX before I was put on house arrest. LOL.

I really love the dress as I can wear it even if my baby bump is already showing plus I can wear it even after I gave birth. But I was reluctant to buy the matching pair for Bela since she is not used to wearing long dress. And since she is short, a long dress might make her look shorter.

But don’t you think the dress looks cute on her? LOL. Syempre love your own.
I asked Marissa if she can make clothes for pregnant woman since she is pregnant too so Bela and I can still continue wearing matching clothes even if I am already big. I always check Katrice site if she has new designs but I think she was busy preparing for her daughter’s 7th birthday. She told me last December that their next bazaar will be this January so hopefully I am already in tip-top shape to do some shopping.

Coach From Faye

If drug rehab is for drug addicts, then Flickr online shopping site of Faye is a therapy for shopaholics like me. LOL. Like what I posted in my previous post, a little window shopping wouldn’t hurt. And besides, you can’t resist to look at Faye’s kalakals because they are really so eye candy plus the terms of payment is really so hard to resist.

Look at some of her Coach bags and wallets for sale. (Pictures snagged from Faye's Flickr Account)


I even saw a Coach diaper bag from Faye’s site. If only I have bottomless funds, I would have bought all of these bags. But I am really trying to save this year. Last year was a good year for my sideline but I think, I spent most of it on shopping and travel and nothing was left for my savings account. The Twitter friends headed by our Treasurer, Joy, will be having a “Paluwagan” again this year where we will send any amount to Joy’s PayPal account. The goal is to leave our PayPal account at zero balance. That will be a big way to get us all out of temptation. I am targeting to save a much bigger amount this year which I plan to put in my savings account by end of the year. So I am really crossing my fingers that I will be able to fulfill my goal.

Window Shopping at BlueFly

I know I promised that for this year, I will do less shopping but window shopping wouldn’t hurt, right? And besides I really need to look for a long gown to wear on my friend’s wedding. So while doing my search, I discovered the site of BlueFly and look at how cute these Free People clothes are.


The best thing about BlueFly is they have discounts on all their products on for today, they even have dress sale of up to 70% off. Tempting, really tempting and some of the clothes on sale can be work by pregnant women like me. I am really not into buying maternity clothes because I find it a waste since I won’t be able to wear it after I give birth so I am always on the look out for clothe designs that can be worn by pregnant women, such as some of the dresses on sale at BlueFly.

I wonder up to when I can resist the temptation. LOL.

Tenant Problems

It has been almost two years already when we bought the two-door apartment from my mom’s friend. This is the first time that we ever manage an apartment and ever since, our tenants have been a real problem.

They always pay late or sometimes they miss a month’s rent and it will take months before they can fully pay. This is no problem if we just put the money in savings account but we use the money that we get from our apartment to pay for our car loan. Now I am thinking if I should be stricter with my tenants because we have always been lenient with their payment deadlines. If only I have learned that those companies offering pre-employment screening can also do background checks for potential tenant, then I would have hired them to perform tenant screening before I accepted my tenants.

I don’t want to be heartless and asked my tenants to leave also because I know life is really hard and I should at least be a little considerate. Oh well, maybe if my tenants decide to leave, I will definitely have a tenant screening first before getting new occupants for our apartment.

Mar-A-Lago

I have started to upload our New Year’s pictures in Flickr but it has been two days already and I have only uploaded like 30% of the pictures. (Smart Bro is so slow again that it take years just to upload pictures). So I am just snagging some pictures from my cousin Tessa’s Facebook account.

.: Videoke Bar :..: Billiard Room :..: Kitchen :..: Living Room:. .: Garden:.

We stayed in Mar-A-Lago, the guest house of my mom’s friend. The house is really big. It has three floors. First floor is the living, dining room, kitchen and garden. Second floor has a small living room and has four rooms. We occupied all the four rooms as we are composed of twenty persons (twenty one including Bela). All rooms have its own toilet and bath, TV with tv stands, aircon, queen-size bed and one double bed. The third floor is where the videoke bar is, the billiard room and the conference room.

The house is just perfect for families. Since we occupied all the rooms, we got the house all for ourselves. We we’re able to use the kitchen to cook our food for lunch, noche Buena and breakfast. The kids also had fun playing in the garden, in the billiard room and in the conference room where they played bingo and board games. The elders really had fun with the videoke machine. Imagine we started using it around three in the afternoon until around 11:30 PM.

The rooms and the CR are clean but I noticed some parts of the house are really not that clean. Like the table cloth and seat cover in the dining room and the gazebo in the garden needs some sweeping. Well, I guess it is because it is just a house and not a hotel so you can never really expect the amenities that you will be getting from a hotel. But we will be going back here if ever we decide for another family get-together. It is really affordable compared to staying in a hotel, the care takers are really friendly and they entertained us well and the rooms and CR are clean enough for my standard.

Preggo Updates

Hi guys. I just had my checkup the other day and I am glad with the results of the ultrasound. I am thankful that the hemorrhage is almost gone. The bed rest must have really worked and of course the injections and medications that I have been taking. My OB also lessened my medication. For this week, I only have to take Duphaston two times a day instead of three times a wday then I just have to take one dosage per day next week and after that I can start going back to work.

This is a good news and bad news in some ways. Good because at least now I feel secure that my baby is safe and less expense on our part since I don’t have to get my weekly injection which costs P1500 per shot. I also miss work already since I have been on leave for almost a month already. Bad news on the other hand because this means I don’t get to spend every minute of everyday with my Bela. I have been so used to being in the house that I don’t know how I will be able to leave her on my first day of work again. I am sure she is so used to this setup also that she might have separation anxiety again once I start going back to work.

But bills have to be paid so I really have to go back to work.

Why I Love Amazon

I love Amazon. Just like last Christmas, I ordered some of my gifts for my nieces and Bela from them.
One of the reasons why I love Amazon is that, they accept our local credit cards. Unlike Etoys and Toys R’ Us which only accepts US cards. Then they have a very reliable fulfillment center. Imagine, the Clickstart toy of Leap Frog that I ordered from them was shipped the next day after I ordered it. Then when I received it, it is properly packed and sealed with the Amazon logo ensuring that the items will be received by the clients in good condition. They also have a wide range of items – from toys, to baby stuffs, even bags and gadgets.

Most of our things, I think, we ordered from Amazon and all of the items that we ordered arrived in good condition. Unlike other online sites, where there are complains that items are not being received by the client, we don’t get to experience it with Amazon.

So if you want to order online again next time, try out Amazon and I am sure you will never go wrong.

Any Recommendations?

Do you have any recommendations for cheaper car insurance? When we purchased our car, we got the insurance for free as part of the promo of Toyota that time. And since our insurance will be expiring soon, I am now searching for an insurance provider since it will be more expensive if we get our insurance again from Toyota.

Insurance is really important since it is also our security. You know how expensive car repairs are and you can never get away from accidents no matter how careful a driver you are since there are a lot of reckless truck and jeepney drivers out there. And so insurance will be a good assurance that no matter what happens, we will be covered. We were able to use our insurance when a truck hit our car along Edsa and the insurance covered the repair and the repainting so we are really definite that we will be renewing our car insurance since it is really a big help for us and it also gives us peace of mind.

So if you have any recommendations, just buzz me.

New Year's Resolution

My aunt’s refrigerator got broken after Christmas (maybe because it was so loaded with left over foods from the holidays. LOL). She checked out SM Appliance Center the other day and they are having a promo right now where she can avail of their six-month deferred payment scheme at zero percent interest. They are even giving free custom mouse pads. How cool is that.

I went with her when she purchased the ref since she has to use my card to purchase it and so I went window shopping as well. I checked out the LCD TV of Sony and they are under promo also and I can avail their twelve month deferred payment plan at zero percent interest. It is a really very tempting offer. Hubby and I are really planning to change our big bulky TV in the living room so we can have more space so I am really drooling when I saw the 32” flat TV.

But you know, one of my new year’s resolution is I will do less shopping and really do some serious savings since I am preparing for major expenses for 2010 (when I will give birth and for the Christening of my second baby), for 2011 for the first birthday of my second baby and 2012 for the seventh birthday of Bela. So I guess, since our current TV is still working, the LCD TV has to wait for now (or for the next three years. LOL).