Michi Photostory

Where is my son? These four words made my world stopped yesterday. My son has been riding school service since last year. It was our decision so my son would learn how to be independent. That he would understand that time will come that I can’t accompany him in school and I can’t stay in school until his dismissal.

I did not have any problems until yesterday. Every day, at 2:30PM I will just stay in the living room waiting for the school service. The service stopped in front of our house, I opened our gate and waited for my son to get off. I was waiting for a few minutes and I find it unusual. I was already nervous because the assistant and the kids were just staring at me without saying a word.

I called my son “Ethan”, I was wondering bakit ayaw bumaba. Then the driver came to me and asked. Driver: Ma’m pumasok po ba si Ethan?
Me: Oo
Driver: Sabi po kasi ni (insert name) absent daw po.
Me: Ha? E paano naman niya malalaman na absent hindi naman sila magclassmate.
Driver: Ganun po ba.
Me: Wala classmate si Ethan na kaservice niya ngayon.
Driver: Pasyensya na po ma’m. Tawagan ko na po si (insert name), mga 3:15 nandito na po si Ethan.

I said ok then the service left. My world suddenly stopped and there were so many things running in my head. Where is my son? Nakarating ba siya sa school kanina? Hindi na nila nakita sa school? Nakuha ba nila pero di nila naisakay sa service? Nakalimutan nila sunduin?

If the driver knew that my son was absent, why bother to go to our house. They knew that I always text them if my son is absent or if I will fetch my son in school.

Yes, I’m a paranoid mom but you can’t blame me because Ethan is my only son and I’m not prepared to lose him just because someone forgot to pick him up. I called my husband to inform him and texted all the drivers of school service to check my son in school. My husband asked me kung pupuntahan na ba niya sa school, it just so happened that he was in their Cavite office so it was just one tolgate away from my son’s school.

I felt relieved when the driver replied “dito na po sa kin si Ethan” and “on the way na po sila, late kasi pinalabas ng teacher”. I texted my husband na nakita na si Ethan so wag na siya punta school.

When the service came, the operator of the service said sorry. “Pasyensya na po ma’m, bago po pahinante ko, pinagalitan ko na na po. Kasi may list naman sila ng mga bata kaya dapat wag aalis hanggat di kumpleto.”

I just told her, “wag na sana mauulit ito, aatakihin ko sa puso”. I wanted to get angry with them because of what happened, I entrusted my only son to them and ito lang mangyayari. But I know it is useless na magalit pa, my son was home.

After we talked, I went inside the house and saw my son crying. I asked him why are you crying?

Ethan: Iwan ako sa school. No more kids and no service. I’m alone.

He was just crying and crying and all I can do is to comfort him and I told him, if mangyari ulit yan. Do not go out, stay inside the school. Baka kunin ka ng bad guys.

Ethan: I did not go out. I just sit on the floor. I’m alone, no more kids and service.
Me: Don’t cry na, I have pasalubong for you. I bought you a donut. He smiled and ate the donut.

Nang mahismasmasan na, I asked him.

Me: Did you see (insert name of his friend)?
Ethan: Yes, I saw (insert name) kuha siya service.
Me: After nun, bumalik pa service?
Ethan: No, no more kids and service na. I cried.
Me: Why are you alone? where is your teacher?
Ethan: Wala teacher.
Me: Wala si (name of teacher)? Eh kanino mo binigay class number.
Ethan: Wala class number kanina.

Hmm, if my son saw his friend bakit sasabihin ng service na late pinalabas. Nakita nga niya na kinuha ng service so nakalimutan talaga na balikan. It really saddened me to know that he was really alone and it seems that he is waiting for nothing. Naawa talaga ko sa kanya. So I wrote a letter to his teacher to notify her of what happened yesterday. I don't know what is their SOP pero dapat hindi iniiwan ang bata ng wala pa sundo, e paano na lang kung iba sumundo sa anak ko, wala makakapagsabi kung sino kumuha. I drew a picture of their lobby and I asked him, can you show me where you stayed? Then he wrote the word floor and drew a stick figure.



I told him, next time talk to guard and tell him na wala pa service or sundo mo so he/she can inform me, may number naman ko sa ID mo. His daddy told him that he will give him a cellphone so he can text or call us but he said, no cellphone sa school.

I can hardly sleep last night because of what happened. I guess I will always be a paranoid mom. Dati, paranoid na ko pagnalelate ng dating ang service and now kahit nandyan na service, kakabahan pa rin ako, iisipin ko kung nasa loob na ng service anak ko.

I really hope that this won’t happen again. My son is so precious to me and I hope teacher and school service will take care of him. They are also parents so they will understand my feeling.

I would like to end this post with a quote, Elizabeth Stone said, “Making the decision to have a child - it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”

Italy is a place where everybody will find something to love. It is such an amazing place that you will probably want to return again and again, and you will still discover new things each time. Indeed, the wide variety of Globus Tours to Italy shows just how many options are out there. However, as with any country, you do need to know a few things about local customs and laws to get the most out of your visit.


General Tips 

1. Museums and many other tourist attractions do not allow photography.
2. Do not walk around in your bikini or other beachwear. 
3. While there are now many multi-region DVDs, if you are bringing discs with you, they may not work. 
4. Italian stores don’t often allow you to return things, so make sure everything is in order before you pay for something. 
5. Some stores do not let you try their clothes on.
6. Italy is not very accessible for people in wheelchairs. 
7. The central and northern beaches in Italy allow topless sunbathing. Most beaches in the south do not. 
8. Most hotels do not have pools and very few programs on television are in English. 

Health and Safety 

1. Everything you eat is likely to contain olive oil and wine. These are laxatives, so be aware of that. 
2. The emergency telephone number is 113. 
3. The Italian word for ‘help’ is ‘aiuto’ (pronounced ay-you-toe). 
4. Crime levels in Italy are low, but larger cities see their fair share of purse-snatchers and pickpockets. 
5. Try not to drink tap water, as it contains a lot of chlorine. 

Dining Out

1. It is uncommon to ask a restaurant to make changes to whatever is on their menu, like fries instead of rice. 
2. Ask for the check when you are ready to go.
3. A very small service charge is sometimes added to your final bill, but a cash tip is more common. 
4. Breakfast tends to be about 8am, lunch about 1pm and dinner around 9pm.
5. You can buy and consume alcohol anywhere at any time, regardless of your age. 
6. Restaurants don’t have kids’ menus. Ask for a half a portion instead. 

Holidays and Opening Times

1. Banks tend to only be open in the morning until 1.30pm. 
2. Churches are usually open on the morning and after around 4pm till about 6pm. 
3. Most museums close on Monday. 
4. Lunchtime means shops close. This is usually between 1pm and 3.30pm. Most shops are also closed on Sunday, as it is a Catholic country. 
5. Don’t go to Italy in August if you can avoid it, because most Italians are on vacation then, meaning almost everything is shut. 
6. Some of the main holidays aside from Christmas, New Year and Easter include January 6 Epiphany, April 25 Liberation Day, May 1 May Day, June 2 Festival of the Republic, November 1 Farragosto, November 1 All Saints Day, December 8 Immaculate Conception and December 26 Feast of St Stephen.

After my phototherapy session last Saturday, we went to Festival Mall to pay bills and buy stuff in National Bookstore for my son’s experiment in Science. While going to the bookstore, we saw Sbarro, I thought they are already closed, they just moved to new location lang pala.



It’s been a while since our last visit so we had lunch here. We availed their cheese promo pizza, NY-style 17-inch pizza for P289. The Pasta Tortellini is P144.75 (I think 25% off). 





My son is not fond of pizza before, most of the time he will just eat the pizza toppings but ever since he watched the “Home Alone” movie where Kevin ordered cheese pizza, he now loves pizza. He wants cheese pizza and if it is not available, we will order pepperoni.

As expected, we enjoyed our pizza and pasta. The cheese pizza is so big so we took home the left over for our snacks.

I have Happyplus Card since 2013 because I really eat in Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich and Red Ribbon so I earn points every time I load and buy using my happyplus card. 

Read: How to Get and Renew Happyplus Card

But we get more points from Caltex, I love the P100 = P1 promo of Caltex and Happyplus. When we went to Acuatico Beach Resort, we dropped by in Jollibee San Juan Batangas to buy food for our lunch. I told my husband to check our points and pa-happy transfer na rin.



It was really a happy transfer because we already have 678.14 points or P678.14 that we can use. Yehey for free food. 



When we got our food I was also surprised to see a note “Keep smiling.” Wow, may note pa sila. Kudos to the staff.

There are so many resorts in Laiya, San Juan, Batangas, as in sa dami niya I don’t think I could try them all. So far we’ve visited four resorts including Acuatico Beach Resort and Hotel. You can check here the other resorts that we’ve visited.  


Acuatico is one of the popular resorts in San Juan, Batangas so it is really in my bucket list for so long. I want to reserve a room but I find it expensive for my budget since I've read a lot of mixed reviews so I was really thinking if it is really worth it. Secondly, it was hard to book a room because it is always fully booked, as in you need to book ahead of time especially summer season.


Imagine my excitement when my husband told me that we will go to Acuatico Beach Resort. He received a confirmation voucher last month from a friend and it was already booked. I want to insert happy dance here but when I checked our calendar, it is my son’s first monthly exam. Spell R-E-V-I-E-W time. 

In addition, there were no classes for 3 days due to bad weather. So a week before our trip, I was praying hard for good weather, sayang naman if hindi matuloy and like I said mahirap magpabook. 

Fast forward to our trip, we went to Asian Hospital first for my 12th session of phototherapy  then off we went to Batangas. Travel time from Alabang is more or less 3 hours including our drive-thru at Jollibee San Juan Batangas for our lunch. 

Arrived at the resort at 12:12NN. They gave us welcome drinks and since check-in time is 1PM we need to wait but we can already use the amenities and facilities while waiting. 

Finally, I saw the beauty of Acuatico Beach Resort and Hotel and it is indeed picturesque. Click here for the video

Twin bed

Complimentary drinks and cookie (uraro), complimentary coffee and tea,  mini ref, safety deposit box, bible and cable tv and phone.

It was holiday last Friday so we went to my grandmother for a quick visit and we immediately went to Asian Hospital for my phototherapy session but unfortunately the Dermatology Laser and Light Center was closed. Waah! I forgot that they are closed during the holidays too. 

We went to Festival Mall to eat our lunch, we ate at Super Bowl of China. I’m not fond of Chinese food so it took me a while to try this restaurant. It was already past 1PM but the restaurant was still packed. I thought it was just a small restaurant but I was surprised to see a lot of tables inside. 



While perusing the menu, they gave us complimentary tea and chips which my son immediately ate. So they gave us another chips while waiting for our order. Hehehe! 



The meal is good for 2 to 3 persons so we just ordered Lechon Macau P350, Rice and Drinks. Since our bill is more than P500, we got this Pancit for P1 only. 



Well, the food is just ok for us, the lechon macau is crunchy but a little bit salty and dry. It is very far from the Lechon Macau that I’ve tasted in Macau.  The Pancit is just ok too. 

The service is good, even there were a lot of diners, it took them several minutes to serve our food. The staff will greet you once you enter and leave the restaurant.

Every year, I always look forward to the list of Philippines holiday and school calendar so I could plan for our long weekend. I want to know if we could plan a travel trip or home renovation on those dates. It is really nice to take advantage of those long weekends for a family trip if budget permits. Anyway, we still have six remaining long weekends for the second half of 2015. #walangpasok

July 17-19 - EID’L FITR on July 17 (Friday) 
Aug 21-23 - August 21 is Ninoy Aquino Day (Friday). 
Aug 29-31 - August 31 is National Heroes Day (Monday) 
Nov 28-30 - November 30 is Bonifacio Day (Monday) 
Dec 24-27 - December 24 is Christmas Eve (Thursday) and December 25 is Christmas (Friday) 
Dec 30 - Jan 3 - Dec 30 is Rizal Day (Wednesday) and December 31 is New Year’s Eve (Thursday).

I’ve just learned this yesterday so mark your calendar. Though this is not a long weekend. Palace declares November 18 and 19 as Special Non-Working Days in NCR for the APEC Summit (Proc 1072).

For the longest time, Feb. 25 is always a working holiday but the school has no classes but this coming 2016 “Palace declares Feb 25, 2016 as Special Non-working Holiday for 30th anniversary of EDSA revolution.”

Time incredibly flies so fast and I didn’t notice that it’s been seven years already since I resigned from my work. I can’t imagine that I will find joy in being a stay at home mom because I never planned to be a housewife. 


When I resigned from my work and I need to fill up some forms, it took me a while to write HOUSEWIFE in my position. It is not that I’m ashamed of it but I’m not just used to it. But that was before because now, I don’t mind writing housewife and telling people that I’m a full-time mom.

Since I’m not used to not having my own salary, I became a mompreneur, I sell books, organic products and preloved stuff in Multiply site then I stopped. After that, I tried working as a ghost writer. I was a work-at-home mom for less than a year only because I felt guilty of not having enough time with my son. I spent most of my time on my laptop, trying to finish all my deadlines so I reminded myself the reason why I resigned from my work. So I decided to focus on my son and be a full-time mom. 

For the last seven years, I always say I’m a housewife, stay at home mom or full-time mom but I have no idea that some working moms were annoy reading and hearing “full-time mom” because for them there is no “part-time mom”. They are working moms but it doesn’t mean, that they are no longer mothers when they are in the office. If there is no such thing as a full-time wife or part-time wife then there is no full-time mom.

I got their point but have they also consider the feelings of stay at home moms whenever they hear “I’m a working mother”. Do you think that housewives are not working? Like Jane Sellman said, “The phrase working mother is redundant”. 

We may not be in the corporate world but it doesn’t mean that we are not working. We have a lot of work to do at home like cooking, cleaning, tutoring and many other tasks. The bottom line is all mothers are working. 

Working moms, work at home moms and full-time moms are all mothers. Let us not focus on the labels. If moms who are working in the corporate world want to be called working moms, so be it. If moms who are working at home and taking care of their children want to be called work at home moms or mompreneurs, so be it. If moms who chose to resign from their job and want to be housewives, full-time moms, stay at home moms, domestic goddess, a homemaker and whatever labels they wanted, so be it.



It is just label. At the end of the day we know that all mothers have the same goal in life, we want to be the best mom that we are meant to be. We need to love, teach, discipline and guide our children on the right path. Let us be happy and respect mothers in their own chosen career whether working moms, work at home moms and full-time moms. #mindyourownmotherhood

"Motherhood is not a battle against mothers. Motherhood is your journey with your children"

My friend gave me Garlic Salt and Italian Seasoning last week so I decided to have roast chicken and beef steak this week. I already cooked roast chicken last Tuesday but when I saw our beef steak, it was cut like breakfast steak or bistik tagalog. Waah, my husband thought I will cook bistik tagalog. 

You might be wondering why I was shocked when I saw the beef. Well, I’m so blessed to have a husband who goes to the wet market every weekend to buy our weekly stock. All I need to do is write our menu and things to buy. He will asked the vendor to cut the meat according to our menu. 

So I have no idea about the current price in the market, feeling ko tumataas kasi konti sukli or wala na sukli after mamili. Hehehe! Anyway, because the cut is to thin, I decided to cook steak bites instead. 

I sliced the beef into bite sized, seasoned with garlic salt and cracked pepper. Melt the butter in a pan and make sure you cook the meat in high heat. Cook according to your degree of doneness.


My photo doesn’t give justice because it looks like beef tapa hehehe! But my family loves it.

Since we live in South Luzon, Tagaytay is our go-to place for food tripping, staycation or if we just want to unwind. There are so many restaurants in Tagaytay and I’ll be sharing some restaurants that we have tried in Silang Cavite, Tagaytay and along the Tagaytay-Nasugbu Road. 


Where to Eat in Tagaytay

1. Leslie’s Restaurants

We dined here for the nth time already; we love the ambiance, view, and food. This restaurant is always packed with diners so sometimes the waiting time is so long. I don’t know why I always forgot to take some pictures.

We never fail to order their bulalo, of course when you’re in Tagaytay you want soup. We visited their new branch at Sky Ranch last month 

2. Buon Giorno  

I’ve read so many good reviews about this restaurant so we tried it. I love the ambiance, view, and food too. It is located in Cliffhouse. 

3. Josephine’s Tagaytay 

After our Paradizoo, we tried Josephine’s restaurant, just in front of Summit Ridge. Again, I love the ambiance, view, and food.

4. Mano’s Greek Taverna

If you search the internet, you will always read good reviews about their food and true enough we loved the food. 

5. Viewsite Restaurant

We always passed by this restaurant on our way to Caleruega so last 2011, we tried this restaurant and we love the ambiance, view, and food. 

We tried this again two months after our first visit but we were so disappointed, it took them more than an hour to serve our food, after numerous follow-ups.

6. Bag of Beans

Bag of Beans is one of the favorite restaurants in Tagaytay but we were disappointed with our order when we first visited the place. There’s nothing special about the food considering the price.  Or maybe we have high expectations because of the good reviews online. 

For the second time around, we visited the restaurant and tried the breakfast menu in Bag of Beans, and the same fate, we were not satisfied. 

But we love their raisins bread. 

7. Hawaiian BBQ

I always want to stay in Boutique Bed & Breakfast but I still don’t have the budget so we just tried their Hawaiian BBQ restaurant. We liked the food, though it is quite expensive but it’s worth the price.

8. Viewpoint Restaurant

Viewpoint Inn and Restaurant has an overlooking view of Taal Volcano so if you want a good ambiance while eating, you can try this restaurant. Hubby and son enjoyed their sinigang na maliputo. 

9. JVF Bulalohan 

This is quite far from Tagaytay Rotonda but we have no choice but to eat here. It was Good Friday and most restaurants were crowded. 

10. JT’s Manukan Grille

If you are craving for Bacolod Chicken Inasal you don’t have to worry because there’s JT’s Manukan Grille along Tagaytay-Nasugbu Road. The place is huge so it can accommodate a big group. 

11. RSM Binalot Sa Dahon 

I know that RSM is serving good Filipino dishes so I did not have a second thought of trying it but unfortunately we are not satisfied with our order. 

12. D' Banquet 

We celebrated Mother’s Day here last year. The meal is affordable and serving is good too. You can also buy Amira’s Buco tart and other pasalubong here. 

13. Marcia Adams

We celebrated our wedding anniversary here. The meal is on the pricey side but if you want a new dining experience you can try this restaurant. Do not forget to make a reservation. 

14. Carlos Pizza

My friend suggested this restaurant but when we tried it, the food was just ok for us but they have a good view of Taal volcano.

15. Breakfast at Antonio’s

This restaurant is one of the most popular restaurants in Tagaytay though it is already far from Tagaytay Rotonda. The price is expensive but I still recommend the place because most of the food they serve is homemade. 

16. LZM Restaurant

This restaurant is known for its bulalo so that’s what we ordered. The food is good and the price is not expensive but the service is quite slow. 

17. Tootsie’s Tagaytay 

The restaurant is good for family food trip because the serving is huge. The food is good and the price is reasonable. 

18. Santis Delicatessen

Santis Deli Cafe or Santis Delicatessen meal is quite steep but I did not have any regrets when we dined here because we were very satisfied with our meal. The restaurant sells cheese, sausage, and other imported products. 

19. Baek Yuen Korean Restaurant

This is where we celebrated Mother’s Day and we were very satisfied with our meal. It was a nice dining experience at a reasonable price. 

20. Balinsasayaw 

You will see this restaurant before reaching Tagaytay. The place was not inviting if you will look from the highway but you will be surprised na there are nipa huts where you can dine. 

21. Lyleth’s Eatery at Mahogany Market

The Mahogany market is also popular because of the bulalo eatery there. If you are looking for affordable bulalo you can give it a try. But manage your expectation because the place is open like carinderia and it is in the market. 

22. Cafe Veranda at Taal Vista Hotel

We went to Taal Vista Hotel just to eat a buffet breakfast in Cafe Veranda. We tried their buffet breakfast before when we had staycation a few years ago. 

23. La Finca Tagaytay

One of the new restaurants in Tagaytay located in Domicillo Design Hotel. The place has a good view of Taal Volcano too. 

24. The Farm Organics

The Farm Organics is located in Twin Lakes, they are offering a brunch buffet every Saturday and Sunday. 

25. Verbena Restaurant at Discovery Country Suites 

If you want privacy, eat at Verbena Restaurant. They accept walk-ins and the place was not crowded so you will enjoy your food trip. 

Read: Buffet Breakfast at Restaurant Verbena

26. Green ATS Bulalohan & Restaurant 

This restaurant started operating in the year 2004 but it was only last week we were able to try it (2018). The restaurant looks nice, it has Taal volcano view, the food price is reasonable and the service is good too. 

27. Starbucks 

If you love coffee, then Starbucks is one of your choices. This cafe has a good view of Taal Volcano too. 

28. Cafe Voi La

You will see this restaurant before going to the Crosswinds Resort Suites. The restaurant is very intagrammable. They served different dishes but the rate is on the expensive side.

29. Balay Dako

Balay Dako is one of Antonio's Group of restaurants in Tagaytay. This restaurant serves Filipino cuisines so if you love Filipino foods or if you have balikbayan guests, this is a good choice of restaurant. They have buffet breakfast every weekend and on selected holidays. 

30. Napa at Crosswinds

Last month, the clinic staff texted me that we need to reschedule our dental appointment because the dentist has a medical mission on that date so I replied that I’ll go back to the clinic to reschedule because my son has classes already so weekdays is not possible. 

When I learned that June 19 is a holiday “Laguna Day” so no classes in his school. I went back to the clinic and reserved the date. It was Friday so hubby is in the office, I was really worried because last year, we had a hard time convincing my son to lie down on the dental chair. But I was glad that my son cooperated. 



Since this was the second time, the dentist already cleaned his teeth. Last year kasi parang toothpaste and brush lang. Dentist said that my son has no cavities and no permanent teeth yet. I was advised to have x-ray if by 8 years old wala pa rin permanent teeth. “Permanent teeth begin to come in around the age of 6 and ends at around the age of 12 or 13.”

I’ve been loyal to Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate brownie mix for the last three years because my family loves these brownies. It is so easy to prepare and the brownies are really good. 



Last month while we are doing our grocery in S&R, my husband saw this Duncan Hines California Walnut brownies mix and he said I should try it. I’ve tried other instant mixes of Duncan Hines before like the Devil’s Food and Red Velvet and the taste was just ok so I was a bit hesitant to try this mix.



Anyway, I bought a box and I baked it two days ago. Just like the Ghirardelli instant mix, all you need to do is add egg, water and oil then bake. Surprisingly, we love it! These brownies are not sweet and we like it because there is walnut too. The taste is close enough to Fudge Brownies of Purple Oven.  Now we have a new favorite, I will buy Duncan Hines California Walnut mix again.

Read: Red Velvet
          Devil's Food Cupcake

Today is first day of July and just like that, half of the year is over. I was lazy to blog for the past few days and we have no internet connection for almost three days so I know it is late to post this Father’s Day Book. 



But since we celebrate Father’s Day every year, you can use this in the future. I was checking Pinterest when I saw this Father’s Day Book printables and I printed it immediately. It is 6 pages book where you can write things about your father. 



I let my son write things about his daddy and I just helped him with the spelling. 



Click here for the printables.