Cutty

... when the sun finally decided to show up, I decided to start on the summer activities I have lined up for the kids. We planted seeds and played in the lawn.  When it was cool enough, the kids rode their bikes to the playground.  We played in the swing while Javi munched on his snacks.  The breeze was cool and the sun stayed away. What can I say?  It was fun... and it didn't cost me much.

One of our yayas has gone back to her province for her annual two-week vacation.  Times like this remind me to think of ways we can be more efficient at home.  It is also the perfect opportunity for the kids to learn new things. I admit, now that the kids have matured, they are less handful.  They still drive me crazy when they fight over toys and about who gets to pretend what during playtime.  However, they are more "independent."  Bettina doesn't need to be held all the time.  Javi can go up and down the stairs by himself.  Even Johann can be asked to watch over his younger siblings.  I am glad that they are all in that stage where they can play by themselves.  I am even more pleased that we no longer need to entertain each child all the time.  We no longer watch them with eagle eyes.  At this time, we only need one yaya to oversee the three children. I wonder how long should we wait till we allow our eldest to bathe all by...

Here's something to perk up your Friday morning.  Vic was telling me that he was listening to this on his way home.  Just imagine how hard we tried to keep our noise level down, so as not to wake the kids.  Enjoy! Funny Names of Places in the Philippines 

 1. In Laguna 2 towns next to each other, Anos and Bayog. So when asked where Bayog is: 
“Paglagpas mo sa Anos, makikita mo na ang Bayog.” 
2. In Malate: Barangay Kabantutan.
 3. In Cebu, a town called Baklayon.
 4. In Pandi, Bulacan: Barangay Masuso.
 5. A town in Tarlac is called Dara Bul bul.
 6. In Bocaue: Right after Pogi Street, you’ll find Kalye Buntisan.
 7. In Batangas, you’ll find “Mababang Paaralan ng Mataas na Kahoy”.
 8. In Infanta: Barangay Katamblingan.
 9. In Palauig, Zambales: Barangay ti ti -on
 10. Bisa, Sorsogon: Barangay Ticol.
 11. Sexmoan, Pampanga.
 12. There’s a barangay in Batangas called: Barangay Walang Balahibo Ibaba.
 13. In Barangay Inuman in Antipolo, you’ll also find Inum...

Tomorrow's Moving Up Day.  That means Johann will be Senior Kinder next school year.  Javi will officially be part of the Nursery Class.  That also means starting this Thursday, days wont be as structured as it had been in the past few months. This has been bugging me for the past few weeks.  I don't want to let my kids watch TV or play with the iPad or iPhone all day.  For some reason, I'm not too keen on the summer activities being offered in school and in the nearby learning centers. So far, here are my options: 1.  Work on book pages that the kids didn't work on in school.  Start on those Summit and Kumon workbooks. 2.  Get a tutor to visit a couple of days a week. 3.  Teach them street games. 4.  Visit the pool for quick dips I am still open to suggestions.  Do you know of any summer activities for children below 5 years old?

Once Sonja came up with the red velvet cupcake, it seemed to have sprung into every baker's repertoire.  Though Sonja's was very popular, I wasn't really impressed.  I kept on searching for the one that is really to die for.  I found one in Manay's kitchen.  She got the recipe from a famous person's favorite things. When I found Cukay's stall in Eastwood Mall's Weekend Gourmet, I just had to sample it.  This particular cake comes highly recommended by Lori Baltazar of DCF.  I can understand why.  It is very moist and flavorful.  I had to stop myself from finishing the whole 4x3 piece all by myself.  I finished it in two sittings instead.  It is very reminiscent of Manay's red velvet.  They may have same recipe. My only concern was I can feel the powdery texture of the sugar in the frosting. I was hoping for a thicker coating of the frosting.  Maybe I was expecting a more whipped texture I've tried elsewhere?  All in al...

Do you check-in with Bing?  I found it on a stranger's FB page and clicked on the icon.  It gave me the location of that person, down to the street name. Be careful with apps like Bing, FourSquare etc.  The information we put out there may be used against us.

This time last year, I had three trips lined up.  Now, I have made no travel plans for the rest of the year.  It seems that I've used up all my travel allowances.  But if I were to go anywhere this year (and if the money tree bears fruit), I would like to explore parts of the United States I haven't gone to.  I am targeting the New England area.  I want to see Martha's Vineyard,  the Vanderbilt mansion in Rhode Island, and drive up to the Canadian side of the Niagara.  I don't what's there to see in Maine and New Hampshire.  Fortunately, The Vineyard and Newport are less than 1.5  hours drive from Tito Rae's house in MA.  Yes, I checked Mapquest already. I'd also like to re-acquaint myself with Boston, Harvard and New York.  There are friends we'd like to visit in NY and NJ.  Hopefully, we also get to spend time with relatives in Chicago and Pennsylvania. Europe and Japan will have to wait till 2013.  I don'...

There are some things I don't like about summer.  Apart from the dreadful heat and my children getting sick because of it, summer is the time when yayas take a vacation.  In our household, if the helper stays for a year, I give the incentive of paying for her round-trip ticket back to the province for a two-week paid vacation.  When she comes back, she will also be entitled to an annual salary increase. This time of the year is one of the things I dread most, because I am always left wondering if the yaya will come back and work for us again.  I always fear that she might find a better opportunity and leave us in a lurch. Now that they've gotten used to our routine, I wouldn't want to start all over again.  Gone were the days when household help stay for years.  But I still hope and pray that all will be well.