Michi Photostory: April 2014

April 29, 2014

Teaching Kids How to Save

Teaching kids how to save is one thing that we should teach our children as early as possible so they will know the value of money. Nobody taught me how to save and nobody told me to save but I learned it through experience and through reading. You can read more here.

I have a five-year-old kid who is not familiar with coins and paper bills. Well, they have money lesson in school where they introduce different coins and paper bills. But of course he doesn’t know how to use it, I never gave him money to buy something in store or grocery. He has no allowance in school so I was having dilemma before on how to teach my son to save money. I shared that story here.

If you remember my Smurfs 2 post, my son and I watched a movie together with his classmates. Yes, we had fun but after watching a movie and waiting for his daddy to pick us up, we stroll around the mall. One of his friends wanted to buy Minion so his mom bought the toy. Another friend wanted to buy the same toy and his mom bought it too. They were having fun with the stuffed toy and suddenly one kid said to my son “Kami meron nito, bakit ikaw wala?”

At that moment, my son was sad and felt that he is missing something. He is not saying anything to me but I can see in his eyes and I feel that he wanted me to buy the toy. But I did not buy it. I received a call from his daddy that he was already in the parking lot so I said goodbye to my friends and we left. While walking to the parking lot, my son was walking so slow and I told him to walk fast because his daddy is waiting then when I looked at him, he was already in tears. I asked him, why he is crying?. He said “I want Minion”. I told him that we don’t have money for Minion so I just carried him all the way to the car.

Of course, his daddy asked me why my son was crying and I told him the story. He asked me “Magkano ba yun?”, I said the price and he said: “Mura lang pala bakit di mo binili, kawawa naman Tantan ko (Ethan)”. I can’t remember the exact price but range is P120-170 for mini Minion stuff toy which is not expensive. But I did not buy it because we went to the mall to watch Smurfs 2 and not to buy anything.

I want my son to learn...

1. That we are not rich

We don't come from rich family, we live from paycheck to paycheck and we cannot buy everything for him.

2. Not because his friends have it, he will have it too.

Ex. His friend has a minion toy. My son asks for a minion toy and I will buy a minion toy. What if his friend has an iPad and my son wanted an iPad?

3. If he wants something, he needs to save.

So few days before his birthday, we bought a piggy bank. I told him to save so we can buy Minion and last weekend we opened the piggy bank and he was able to save P702.55. Since he has no allowance he got coins from loose change, sukli sa pinamalengke, sukli sa tolgate and coins from his daddy’s pocket.

I asked him, what he wanted to buy and he said: “I want Minion”.

Deep inside I can still feel the pain “di pala nakalimutan ng anak ko yung time na hindi ko siya binili ng minion” but on the other hand I feel happy because he still remembers what I’ve said. “If you want to buy minion, save for it”. This is just the start of teaching him how to save, I know we have a long way to go.

Care to share some tips.

April 28, 2014

Creamy Lengua in Mushroom Sauce Recipe

I was in High School when I first tasted a lengua dish and I like it at first taste. The meat is so soft compared to other part of beef or pork. I don’t want to imagine that I’m eating tongue so I can enjoy my food. Since then Creamy Lengua in Mushroom Sauce became one of my favorite dish so I was really happy if I see this on the menu in any restaurant. There are times that I buy frozen lengua in Contis.

Actually cooking this dish is easy, the only thing I dislike is it took me 5 hours to cook the dish, that is the main reason why I seldom cook this at home. I have to boil the meat for 4 hours or until tender then I have to clean and slice it. You can check you tube on how to clean beef/pork tongue.

Sharing with you my recipe

1 beef tongue (lengua)
1 tbsp garlic minced
Oil to toast the garlic
2 tbsp butter
1 onion
1 pack of all purpose cream
1 small can of slice mushroom
1 can of cream of mushroom
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: Dried Parsley

1. Clean, boiled and slice the tongue.
2. Toast the garlic. Set aside. I
3. In the same pan, add the butter and pan-fry the sliced beef tongue 3-4 minutes each side. Set aside.
4. In the same pan, saute the onion and slice mushroom.
5. Add the all purpose cream and cream of mushroom. Cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Put the slice beef tongue in the sauce and simmer for 5-10 minutes in low fire.
8. Transfer to serving dish and add the toasted garlic.
9. Serve.

April 24, 2014

Day 4: Universal Studio Singapore

When we first visited Singapore, Universal Studio was not yet there so it is the main reason why I wanted to go back again. We celebrated our 8th Wedding Anniversary in Universal Studio Singapore. Yes, no fancy dinner nor an expensive gift but I was indeed happy because we’re in Singapore again and my son will enjoy USS. Traveling makes me happy.

We rode MRT to VivoCity Shopping mall and take a leisure stroll to Resorts World Sentosa where USS is located. The Sentosa Boardwalk is 700 meters long but you won’t get tired because there are travelators and you will enjoy the panoramic view of the bay. Take a quick stop for pictures. Click here for the video

At the end, you will see a booth where you can buy tickets and pay $SG1 for Sentosa entrance fee. The waiting time is long so if you have time, make sure you have your tickets already. Book your tickets here. Adult $SG74 Kid $SG54

Upon entering the theme park, we secured a map and schedule of shows and we immediately look for New York Zone to watch the Sesame Street Stage Show.

Then we moved to Sci-Fi City Zone to ride Transformers The Ride: Ultimate 3D Battle and Accelerator. Next stop is the Ancient Egypt Zone, my husband rode the Revenge of the Mummy and after that, we tried the Treasure Hunters.

We ate our lunch in Discovery Food Court, my husband ordered a set meal at $SG11.50 each and 1 Jura Cup Coke for $19.80 ($SG2 for refill).

After eating our lunch we went to The Lost World Zone, my husband rode the Canopy Flyer while I accompany my son in Dino-Soarin. Since we don’t want to get wet yet we moved to the next zone which is Far, Far Away.

We rode Shrek 4D Adventure, Magic Potion Spin, and watched Donkey Interactive Live Show.

Next stop is Madagascar Zone, we rode Madagascar: A Crate Adventure and King Julien’s Beach Party-Go-Round. We missed the Madagascar Boogie show.

We went back to New York Zone to watch the Rockafellas and moved back to The Lost World Zone for WaterWorld Show. Be ready to get wet here and if you don’t want to get wet, make sure you will not sit in front rows.

We watched the Lights, Camera, Action and I was really amazed by how they produced and create light and sound effects. Then rode the Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase.

We explore the Hollywood Zone and watched the Mel’s Dinettes and The Cruisers. Our tour is not complete without riding the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure. My son got scared at the end of the ride where the dinosaur will eat us. Hehehe! Fortunately, we did not get wet except for my husband.

Finally, we watched the Monster Rock Show and went back to the hotel.

Universal Studio Singapore is not that big compared to Hongkong Disneyland so you can enjoy the park even for a day.

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April 22, 2014

Buko Tart in Tagaytay

Though we frequently visit Tagaytay, we don’t always visit the pasalubong store especially if we are always in a hurry to go home or if we don’t want to eat sweets. We love buying Spanish Bread from Sonya’s Garden, Cassava Cake, or Sylvannas from Rowena’s and Tawilis from a vendor outside Rowena’s. But we haven’t tried buko tart or maybe because I’m not fond of buko pie.

When we went to Stilts Calatagan, we went home early because my friend wanted to buy a buko tart. We went to Amira’s Buko Tart but unfortunately, all tarts were sold out so we went to Loumars.

I bought 1 box for P160, one box contains 9 pieces of buko tart. I tried it and I love it because it is not sweet and you can really taste the buko. Now, I prefer buko tart than buko pie because it is smaller. #madalingkainin

Then last Good Friday, I went back to Amira’s Buko Tart to try their famous buko tart that was featured on Kris TV. One box is P170 for 9 pieces of buko tart. I tried it and I liked it too.

Update: October 2019

It's been a long time since we went to Tagaytay. My husband paid a visit last month and he asked me kung ano gusto ko pasalubong. I told him to buy Buko Tart, I did not mention any store and this time he bought at Rowena's. Like the other stores, one box contains 9 pieces of Buko Tart for P230. I noticed the price increase since 3 years ago na rin yung last na bili namin. The buko tart tastes good too.

If you'll ask me which is my favorite, honestly, I can’t tell the difference, they all taste good. Nagkakatalo na lang sa price. Hehehe! You can comment below regarding the updated price.

April 21, 2014

Seattle’s Best: Buy 1 Get 1 on Javakula

We stopped at Caltex SLEX to gas up and we received this coupon of “Buy 1 Get 1 on Javakula”. I’m not a coffee lover but from time to time I drink expensive coffee if it is free or if there is promo just like last Saturday, we took advantage of this coupon.

My husband ordered Javachip Javakula “A deliciously rich classic mocha blended with ice and chocolate chips and smothered with whipped cream” and Mocha Javakula “A deliciously rich classic mocha blended with ice and generously covered with whipped cream.” Between the two I prefer the Mocha Javakula because there’s no chocolate chips. #lesssweet

1. Buy any Javakula with this voucher and get another one (of equal or lesser value for free).

2. The free Javakula must be availed at the same time the purchase is made.

3. The free Javakula is not convertible to cash or discount.

4. This promo is not valid in conjunction with other on-going promos and discounts.

5. This promo is valid in all SBC cafes nationwide.

6. Promo period is April 15, 2014 to May 15, 2014.

A repost from my old blog My Other Nook

Holy Week 2014

I always look forward to Holy Week because it is looong weekend but we don’t have any family outing because we try to stay away from traffic and crowd. Normally, we don’t plan anything for Holy Week, we took advantage of staying at home, doing household chores or doing nothing.

I noticed that every year we spent Holy Week in different ways but the only thing that my husband never fails to do since 2008 is to visit Caleruega Church. I was still pregnant with my only son when we started visiting this church and now my son already memorized the place, how to get to the church, station of the cross, koi, and chapel.

We also visited my grandmother in Victoria, Laguna, accompany her in the grocery and then went home.

Yesterday was Easter Sunday and for the last few years I’ve been checking the Easter Egg Hunt in different hotels but whenever I compute for the price, nakakahinayang. I want my son to experience egg hunt so I was happy when my friend asked me “San kayo mag Easter Egg Hunt?” and when I told her na I don’t have a definite plan. Initially, we wanted to attend the Easter Egg Hunt in Fun Ranch but we ended up planning for our own event. #hehehe!

My friend prepared the Egg Hunt in their home, one friend bought prizes, one friend brought boiled eggs for Egg Painting/Coloring and each of us brought food to share.

Mommy: Ethan, get ka ng maraming egg later ha.
Then Ethan opens our fridge and putting all our eggs in his bag. Lol.

Obvious na la pa experience sa Easter Egg Hunt ang aking anak. But he really had fun and he got 9 eggs.

After eating and hunting, swimming naman.

April 18, 2014

DIY Back to School Labels

It is summer vacation so I have extra time to finish my backlogs and surf the net. I was checking Pinterest for free printables and I saw this cute school label.

I know it is too early to prepare because summer vacation has just started but I still printed this for my son. Good thing I still have available sticker paper and I gave one copy too for his friend.

Click here to download the file.

A repost from my old blog Michi's Home Sweet Home

April 17, 2014

Celeteque: Clarifying Shampoo

A couple of weeks ago we went to Mind Museum and I’ve tried the Van de Graaf Static Ball that makes your hair stand and I noticed that only few strands of my hair were standing.

It made me think that my hair was so heavy so I decided to try the Celeteque Dermoscience Clarifying Shampoo. I bought this at Watson for P200.

“Celeteque Dermoscience Clarifying Shampoo is a once a week shampoo that helps remove residue build up from shampoo, conditioner and hair styling products, which makes the hair look unhealthy, dull and difficult to manage and style. ”

Imagine for thirty one years, this will be my first time to try clarifying shampoo. For several years my hair and scalp has been carrying those residue build up from my shampoo, conditioner, hot oil and even my scalp solution medicine for my psoriasis.

Directions: Wet hair thoroughly and massage clarifying shampoo on to hair and scalp. Lather and rinse well with water. Go back to using your favourite shampoo for the rest of the week.

Like

1. I tried it a while ago and true enough my hair feels clean and lighter. "ang gaan-gaan ng feeling"

2. I love the scent.

3. Since you will only use this once a week, P200 for 250ml bottle is worth it.

Since this is a shampoo and no conditioner, I expected that my hair will be dry and not easy to comb but still I’m happy with the result. So this will be included in my weekly routine. I will tell my hubby to use this also because he always put gel in his hair.

A repost from my old blog Mrs Ugly Duckling

April 16, 2014

Bataan Road Trip

Our college friend messaged me last February to inform me about his son’s 7^th birthday party. The last time that we saw each other was 3 or 4 years ago during his daughter’s baptism. I told my husband about it and he said yes.

We all know that Bataan is too far from Cavite, it is more or less 4 hours trip depending on the traffic so to maximize our trip, I checked which tourist spots we could visit before attending the birthday party in Limay, Bataan.

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is listed in my bucket list so I emailed them 2 weeks before the trip but they replied to call instead. My husband called to reserve a room but the studio room is already fully booked so we decided to have a day trip instead. #paguran

Last Sunday, we left as early as 4AM to avoid the traffic but I forgot that it was the last day of Hot Air Balloon Festival so we experienced traffic jam as early as 6:30AM. It used to be in Clark, Pampanga but now it was held in Lubao, Pampanga and it used to be on February but now April. We’ve experienced it last 2009 but we missed the flying Hot Air Balloon so we’ve made a quick stop just to take picture.

Then off we went to Dambana ng Kagitingan situated in Mt. Samat. My husband and I were just friends when we first went here and now we’re back with our son. =) We reached the top before 8AM so the elevator going up to the cross is still closed. I don’t want to wait anymore because the line is already long. We checked the museum and left.

P20 – entrance fee

P20 – parking

P10 – elevator fee

On your way to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, you will see the Zero Kilometer Death March Marker “It is the starting point of the Bataan Death March in April 9, 1942 where 60,000 to 80,000 prisoners of war were transferred to Camp O’Donell. Many Filipino and American prisoners of war died in the 128 km march. ”

And Philippine-Japan Friendship Tower, “A monument symbolizing the renewed friendship between Philippines and Japan after the World War II event. ”

Then finally we reached the Heritage Resort, “built by Jose “Gerry”Acuzar, the resort is a collection of different Spanish colonial buildings and stone house from different time and parts of the Philippines.” Will share our day trip experience on my next post.

April 15, 2014

Day 3: DIY Singapore City Tour

Seven years ago when we first visited Singapore, we availed travel packages because I didn’t have any itinerary, I only had a list of tourist spots that I wanted to visit. But now, I have extra time to research so no more travel packages. I’m thankful for gothere.sg site because it made our commuting life easier.

After our check-in at South East Asia Hotel we started our DIY Singapore City Tour, from Bugis we went to Clark Quay for our walking tour.

Asian Civilization --> Fullerton Hotel --> Merlion --> Esplanade --> Makansutra --> Helix bridge --> Gardens by the Bay --> Marina Bay Sands

Tired! Tired! Tired!

Well, this walking tour is really tiring especially since we have a kid in tow who doesn’t want to walk so we let go of the Gardens by the Bay and Helix Bridge. After taking pictures we decided to go to IKEA Tampines but unfortunately, I couldn’t find the shuttle bus going to IKEA so we just ate our dinner and went back to the hotel. Huhuhu!

April 10, 2014

Day Trip at Stilts Calatagan

Honestly, we’re not planning for any summer outings because we dislike crowded resorts. We know that Peak Season = Expensive Rates so as much as possible we plan our family outings during the offseason. But when my friend suggested na “mag-outing naman tayo”, I did not have any second thoughts because it will be our first family outing with friends so I immediately checked my bucket list.

For the last two years, I’ve been meaning to visit Stilts Calatagan but every time I compute the expenses, napapadalawang isip ako. Well, if we can’t afford the overnight trip yet, we can avail of the Day Trip instead. I invited other friends, reserved the trip on April 9, 2014 (Araw ng Kagitingan), and paid the 50% downpayment.

Reception

Stilts Day Trip Rates

P385 – 7 yrs old above (P300 lang two years ago)

Free of Charge – 6 years old below

P1800 – Discovery Pavillion Cottage

Inclusions:

- Welcome refreshment at the resort

- Free use of pool and beach area

- 8AM to 6PM

Our Cottage

We left yesterday at 5AM and hoping to reach the resort at 8AM para sulit day trip. We’ve been to Calatagan before when we had a day trip at Golden Sunset so at least we had an idea of travel time but Stilts Calatagan is much farther than Golden Sunset.

When we reach the resort proper, the guard stopped us to confirm our reservation and we drove again till we reached the gate. Another guard confirmed our reservation and counted the number of persons inside the car. #strict

At the parking lot, Stilts personnel went to our cars and assisted us with our things. They will deliver our stuff to our cottage. Then we went to the reception and our welcome drinks were served. I filled out a form and paid the remaining balance. Staff ushered us to our cottage and our things were there safe.

We rested for a while and check the beach but my son prefers a swimming pool so off we went to the swimming pool. I was expecting a crowded resort because yesterday was a holiday and of course the summer season, but it wasn’t so we really enjoyed the place.

We decided not to bring any heavy meals so we just ordered at the restaurant and dahil tatlong tumbling lang layo ng restaurant sa aming cottage, they granted our request na sa cottage na lang iserve ang food. #goodservice

We ordered 2 grilled liempo, bulalong batangas and light of fire. Sorry but I forgot the exact price of the meal but the range is P200-P500. The food is good but the serving of grilled liempo is good for one person only.

My friend ordered two pizzas for our merienda and then we decided to go home before 5PM.

Like

1. They are very quick in replying to all my emails and in less than five days, we’re all set for our trip.

2. I like the service because they ushered us from parking to cottage and cottage to parking.

3. Good facilities and amenities.

4. Clean restroom and bathroom for the day-tripper.

We had a great time at Stilts Calatagan and we even want to go back to experience the room. So if you are looking for a resort in Batangas, I recommend that you try Stilts Calatagan.

Note: You have to pay the number of persons that you reserved, whether present or not. In our case, one of my friends did not join our outing because her son got sick so we have no choice but to pay for her reservation.

If you will have a day trip, I recommend Discovery Pavillion Cottage because it is near the restaurant, pool, beach, and bathroom.

Read: List of Batangas Resorts

Stilts Calatagan Resort

(+632) 511-8120

Brgy. Sta. Ana, Calatagan
stilts.sales@gmail.com

sales@stiltscalataganbeachresort.net

http://www.stiltscalataganbeachresort.net/