Michi Photostory

October 13, 2014

Field Trip in Subic

A week before the field trip day, I received a reminder about the field trip itinerary and I was so sad because the field trip is Ocean Adventure. Waah! We have just visited Zoobic Safari and Ocean Adventure last February and sobrang fresh pa sa memories ko. Lol

So I was thinking if we will join the field trip or not because

1. Field trip day is also my son’s birthday.
2. We have just visited the place last February.
3. I wasn’t feeling well due to cold and cough.
4. This is our first trip without Daddy because only 1 chaperone is allowed. I can imagine the stress already.

But I also have to consider these things

1. I already paid this field trip because it is included in the tuition.
2. This is the first field trip of my son in his new school and sabi nga ni hubby, bonding niya with his classmates.
3. This is also the last field trip that I can accompany my son because next year no more chaperone allowed.

So ending, I went to school to pay for chaperone fee. We celebrated my son’s birthday in advance. Check our Mario Birthday Theme here.

Still wasn’t feeling well on the day of the field trip + I have a stiff neck pa, but still I accompanied my son. #momsduty Assembly time is 5:30AM and Departure time is 6AM but we left passed 6AM and arrived at Ocean Adventure before 10AM.

A few minutes before we reached the OA, I was surprised when the tour guide said “Let us sing happy birthday to Ethan”. Maybe the teacher remembered his birthday. Something memorable for my son.

I received the ticket and I noticed that the rate is different, I paid P550 before but for educational field trip, the price is only P390.

We went to the Walk on Wide Side Show.

Then Balancing Act with the African Acrobats.

We had lunch after the two shows and went back at 12:30nn for Dolphin Tales. We knew that one dolphin named Tonka in marine park died just recently so bawas na yung nagshow.

We did not finish the Dolphin Show because we went to Sea Lion Marine Patrol already so we can have a good seat. For the last three shows kasi lagi panget pwesto namin. Kung hindi sa likod nasa gilid. Lol If you still remember my post about OA, Sea Lion Show is our favorite show.

It was funny because whenever we watch the show, it seems na first time pa rin sa aking anak because in reality, wala naman nagbago sa show. It is the same show that we have watched last February. I was already tired after watching the four shows but we still have to go to Duty Free Shops.

Our last stop is San Guillermo Church in Bacolor Pampanga. Honestly, I have no idea about the church so I have to google it. According to wikipedia, “The church was originally constructed by the Augustinian Friars in 1576. In 1880, the church was destroyed by an earthquake only to be rebuilt by Fr. Eugenio Alvarez in 1886. On September 3, 1995, lahar flow from the slopes of Mt. Pinatubo which erupted into world notice on June 15, 1991, buried the church at half its 12-m height prompting its more than 50,000 town residents to evacuate to safer grounds in resettlement areas”

In addition, this is the church where they shoot the “May Bukas Pa” teleserye, remember “Santino”

End of our field trip.

Check out our first trip in Ocean Adventure here and Zoobic Safari here.

October 07, 2014

DIY Mario Birthday Theme

If you’ve been reading this blog for quite some time now, you will notice that I don’t really splurge on birthday party because I love intimate celebration. A simple and inexpensive celebration is what I always wanted. Every year we celebrated our birthdays in different ways, it depends on our time and budget.

Last Saturday, my son turned six years old and few months before his birthday, I was thinking about how we are going to celebrate his birthday.

1. No birthday parties allowed in his new school.
2. His birthday falls on a weekend.
3. Three months before his birthday, I received the school calendar and surprise! educational field trip namin sa birthday niya.

But still I asked him what is his birthday theme, my son wanted Mario Birthday Theme so I was searching for ideas since August. I was planning to have a simple birthday celebration at home. I’m still hoping and praying na baka mabago pa yung schedule ng field trip.

Unfortunately, it didn’t happen so we celebrated his special day, the day before his birthday. My husband just called my in-laws few hours before the party. We only have cake and pizza for the food. I bought the paper plates and table cover at Celebrations Party Central.

Sharing with you, my DIY Mario Birthday Theme.

Printables: Banner and Clip Art, Bottled Water, Mustache, Invitation and many more

Giveaway - KitKat chocolate + Wrapper and Mario Coloring Book.

Cake - Chocolate Ganache from Karen’s Kitchen.

A month before my son’s birthday, I asked my husband if I will order a Mario Cake just like last year when I ordered a Mickey Mouse Cake but he said, we will just buy a cake then put Mario decoration. We’re not fond of fondant cake kasi. I told him na siya na bahala sa cake, basta I want a plain white cake.

The day before my son’s birthday, my husband checked two bakeshops in Makati and he was informing me about the cake, price, and looks. But my son wanted chocolate cake so we ordered one of the bestsellers of Karen’s Kitchen which is Chocolate Ganache, P825 for 8” round.

We’re having a hard time looking for Mario decoration toy, we’ve been checking different malls but my husband only found small Mario stuff. Good thing my friend read my FB status and she messaged me that she has Mario toy from Happy Meal. Yay, that was two hours before the party.

We were really excited to taste the cake because I’ve read so many good reviews. Some of the blogs even considered this as one of the best chocolate cake. We love the chocolate cake because it is not sweet, the cake is moist and you can really see the layer of icing, frosting, and cake. Maybe, our expectation is so high so when we tasted it, ok lang naman. Considering the price of P825, I find it too expensive because the cake is not that big compared to Purple Oven cakes.

Sources of my Printables

Printable Mario Coloring Pages
Mario Birthday Invitation
Mario Mustache
Super Mario Clip Art Printables
Happy Birthday Mario

October 05, 2014

Generation Slouch: We Pay For Our Adult Children’s Holidays

Before we get into the detail of the article, I really want to thank the team here for letting me post here with them. It means a lot to be able to get something published for my Michael May Money Blog at a great site like this.

When I was 16, I chose to stay at school for A levels, something definitely optional at the end of the Seventies. As all of my siblings had left school at 16 and found jobs, my parents agreed to support me, provided I bought my own uniform and paid my bus fares to school, which seemed fair enough and comfortably doable with money from my weekend job. At 18, I celebrated the end of school by running off to France for six months with my two best friends, where we hitchhiked, slept on beaches, sold doughnuts in our bikinis and kept in touch by sending monthly postcards home saying: “Working as an au pair with a strict family, and hardly allowed out at all.” Our parents were fine with that.

By the time I was 19, I had moved out of my parents’ house and would never live there again. I went from hall of residence to shared rented flat; and though I’d visit regularly, I never stayed overnight and it wouldn’t have occurred to me to rock up with a bag of washing. Nor did I ever take money or advice from my parents again. Thanks to a full grant, summer temp jobs and an uncrushable confidence in my own superior judgment, I was financially and emotionally independent from then on. My parents were fine with that too.

Fast forward to now, when I have two grown-up kids of my own. I say grown-up mainly in the legal sense — Fred is 19 and Kat is 22 — because by all my own measures of adulthood they are still children, and their relationships with their parents couldn’t be more different than mine. At 16, Kat had never had a job, and neither she nor I expected her to get one. Her focus was to be her school work because of course, she’d be going to university. At 18, she celebrated the end of school by going on her first independent holiday with her two best friends, to Barcelona, for a week, paid for by us. She sent texts to let us know that she’d arrived safely, what the hotel was like, and at what time we could collect her when her return flight landed. When she went to university, we paid her fees and her rent so that she wouldn’t have to work during term time.

Last year, she graduated and moved back home, just as her brother was leaving for university, and we started paying his fees and rent too. After stints of unpaid interning, she was lucky enough to land a job at a decent graduate salary. A “decent graduate salary” means enough — just — to afford rent in a shared flat, in at least some parts of London, but it also means that you will spend most of your nights at home and never be able to save a penny. Encouraged by us, she has decided that living at home is a better choice for now. We don’t charge rent so she can save hard for a deposit for a place of her own — though not so hard that she can’t have holidays or a social life.

Reference: welshview.co.uk

All the things that we didn’t want for ourselves, even if our parents would have allowed them, which they wouldn’t, we encourage and enable in our own kids. She has her own room, decorated to her own design, paid for by us, and where we knock before we enter. We keep the fridge stocked with food she likes, paid for by us. If she wants to have friends over, we clear out of the kitchen so she can entertain them in peace. If she needs a lift and it’s late or bad weather, her dad still drives her. She cooks for the family once a week, if she’s in, and helps me work the remote control. A couple of nights a week she may stay at a friend’s or at her boyfriend’s, and all we ask is that she lets us know when she’ll be back. Is she a princess? Are we mugs? Is there something wrong with this picture?

If we are mugs, we’re not alone. According to Mintel, the market research company, more than three million young adults aged 20-plus returned home last year. For many, it’s to clear debts or because rent is unaffordable. But for others, it’s a more complicated mix of finding life easier and nicer at home than in an overpriced shared flat. And this, says Sally Koslow, author of Slouching Toward Adulthood, is bad. She thinks we’ve wrapped our kids in cotton wool, failed to teach them life skills, and denied them the satisfaction of achieving independence. We’ve effectively forgotten what parenting means.

It’s a neat argument, but it’s the wrong argument because it belongs in a different world — the less complex world that boomer parents grew up in. In 1969, the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18, and overnight 18 became the new age of legal adulthood, an arbitrary label that nonetheless shifted our perceptions of when independence and the markers of adult life began. In fact, sophisticated brain imaging shows that our brains — particularly in the areas related to forward planning and impulse control — aren’t fully developed until around the age of 24. But at least premature adulthood was less of a problem and more easily attainable in those days. I had my first Saturday job at 13, and in my gap year, I could walk out of one job on a Friday afternoon and into another one by Tuesday morning. Those jobs were mainly in retail, admin and customer service, the kind of job Kat couldn’t get, because when I was a teenager most of the mothers were still at home with their kids, not queuing up for the same jobs — 66 per cent of mothers now work, compared with 31 per cent in 1980, and that’s before we even consider the recession. After college, competition for graduate jobs was tame — there were just 68,000 graduates in the UK in 1980, compared with nearly 300,000 last year. Mortgages were about three times the average salary; they’re more than seven times now.

Today, much more is expected from our kids and it’s harder to attain, with more years in education before they can afford independence, yet we still expect them to want the same things, and to achieve them when we did, even though it’s practically impossible. Terri Apter, the British psychologist and author of The Myth of Maturity, describes the period of the early twenties as “apprentice adulthood”, a phase in which our kids need reliable but gradually receding support, and says that we should not expect them to emerge fully formed as adults when they reach a particular birthday. “The myth of maturity at 18 is pervasive but damaging,” she says, and parents who think that “tough love” means kicking them out before they’re ready, are usually wrong. “Adolescents who make the transition most successfully and creatively to adulthood are those who still have the support of their parents. Not just financially, but in terms of ongoing engagement, understanding, and advice.”

It’s not just economics that keeps our kids at home. When I was growing up, the world was divided into Adult World and Kid World, and the two rarely overlapped. So long as I obeyed my parents’ (many) rules, they weren’t particularly interested in my friends or what music I liked. We’ve been much more engaged with our children’s lives, and as interested in their emotional and personal development as in their grades at school. Yes, there are extremes of “child-centered” parenting that are both ridiculous and disturbing, but overall, family relationships are richer as a result, and we aren’t in as much of a hurry to change them. I don’t think of where we live as “my house”, as my parents did, but as “our home”.

Now that Kat and Fred are older, knowing when to step back and when to step in is a whole new choreography, and I often get it wrong. Both kids are mess magnets, and I’ve had to get tough with them about chores. In turn, they could do without me making “mum” conversation with their friends, and though they appreciate their luck, both would prefer their own places. Fred, in particular, says it is “embarrassing” to admit to your friends that you live with your parents. We’re all compromising.

I know that in another year or two they’ll be gone. Maybe they’ll bounce back again, as so many of my friends’ kids have done. Fine by me. I’d have made braver decisions if I’d felt able to do the same thing at their age. One friend with three big sons despairs of them living at home, but as she has made herself their slave — skivvying for them as if they were still ten — I think she only has herself to blame. Kat’s best friend is also at home with her family, who are from South America. She doesn’t understand why this is even an issue — families living with or near each other more or less forever is normal in her culture and everyone benefits. The cult of independence and individuality that my generation lived by has its dark side, in increasingly atomized, selfish and lonely lives. Do we really believe that we’re only responsible to and for ourselves? One of the hardest lessons for us to learn has been mutuality — the back and forth of support and shared resources of every kind, throughout a lifetime. If we’re lucky, isn’t that what families are meant to be for?

This post was contributed by the Money Saving Blog who is a regular poster both here on their own blog. You can catch them on twitter, facebook or even their very popular youtube channel.

October 03, 2014

All I Want for Christmas: Thoughtful Gift Ideas for Military Women

Someone has to protect our country during the holidays, and this job falls squarely on the military. It’s no fun being away from family, especially if you’re a woman. But you can make the holidays a little kinder, a little more gentle, by sending a thoughtful gift to a soldier that’s deployed in a strange, far away, country. Here’s what to send.

Photo by Timon Studler on Unsplash

A Military Ring

A military ring is a ring that features the military branch crest and gemstone. You can order them in either silver or gold, and it’s a symbol of the dedication and pride that every soldier feels for serving in the military. Military Rings for women tend to run a bit smaller than for men, and they’re more feminine. This doesn’t always mean they’re cheaper though. But, if you really want to “wow” someone, send them this.

A Paracord Bracelet

A paracord bracelet is a bracelet that’s made of parachute chord - yes, nylon. It’s the same chord that’s been used in the military since WWII for parachutes. It’s strong. It’s lightweight. It’s great for all kinds of survival situations. This is what soldiers love, even women. Say you’re out in the field, and you need something to help you catch some wild game, or you need something to climb up a tree, or maybe you just want to relax and do a little fishing on your day off - this is what you need.

When not needed, it’s a bracelet. But, it “magically” unravels into a tactical cord that has at least as many uses as baking soda, except that the bracelet is more stylish.

A Teddy Bear

The female soldiers in the civil war would have loved this as a gift had they been able to get their hands on them. A teddy bear might seem a little childish, but most soldiers, even females, tend to feel a little homesick when they’re deployed. This is one of the best ways to make them feel like they have a home, and that someone is thinking about them. It can get pretty lonely over there. At night, it can also get a bit chilly. Having something to snuggle will make life a little bit easier.

A Blanket

While the military does provide blankets, they tend to be very utilitarian and not very “cozy.” Sending a homemade blanket, or even a nice store-bought one can really brighten someone’s day. It doesn’t have to be super-fancy, but try to send something that’s soft, comfortable, and homely.

Remember, many female soldiers carry a stigma with them that brands them as unfeminine. The reality is that they’re like most females. They like feminine things, like soft blankets that make them feel like they’re home instead of being wrapped up in government synthetic materials.

A Pillow

This might sound strange, but nice pillows aren’t a common thing if you’re deployed. You get the standard-issue pillow, and that thing isn’t comfortable. It’s cheap. Sending a fluffy pillow, or something that feels like it’s from home will make just about any soldier’s day. Helen Moser loves to send things to our troops overseas, especially during the holidays. An avid writer, she likes to give people creative ideas for supporting the military. You can find her interesting posts on many blog sites today.

October 02, 2014

Teacher’s Day Gift

Teacher’s Day is just an ordinary day for me when I was a student, in fact, I can’t even remember if I ever gave a gift to my teachers. I just always think na baka sabihin sipsip ako so I don’t give anything. But when I became a mom and started tutoring my son, I realized how hard it is to be a teacher.

I started giving small gifts to my son’s teacher when he was in Nursery to show our appreciation for teaching our son. I give chocolates or school supplies. Yesterday, I just put some school supplies and card in a box, wrapped them, and put a sticker.

Happy Teacher's Day!

Source:

For the gift tag, click here
For the card, click here

Important Advice That Will Help You To Be Great Mom For Your Child

The desire to become parents is coming to each couple throughout several years of their relations. They have already proved to each other that they are ready for making family and its’ time for the baby. As soon as a woman finds out that she will be mom her life is changing in an enormous way.

First of all, there are a lot of different processes that are happening with her body when she is pregnant and gives the birth to a baby. Second important change is that it is a real challenge for a couple, you need to be ready for sleepless nights, frequent crying of the baby even if you don’t know exactly what is the reason of it, increasing of bills. However, the last and the most important change is that now you are responsible for this small creature and all your actions will inevitably influence him.

How not to make mistakes, how to be a good mother, how to be not just mother, but also to remain personality, how to prevent problems with husband and many other questions will bother you each and every time. However, there are countless moms all over the world and some of them are becoming moms while you are reading this article. You are not alone and countless women in different parts of the world have the same questions as you have and are facing the same problems as you. But a lot of women have already grown up their children in descent grown-ups and they can be proud that they have done everything in right away.

If you are experiencing any problems during pregnancy or with your baby, you need to know that there are countless sources where you can find a lot of useful tips on this topic. If you are looking for any type of advice for moms all you need to do is to check out on the internet. Experience of those women who have already faced the same problems as you is the best help in this situation.

It’s normal that you are not perfect mom from the beginning, it’s normal that you have fears and concerns if it is your first baby. However, with the time you will become a real expert in this field and can even give pieces of advice for other moms who need help. Try not to panic in the begging nobody is the expert. However, with the help and support of your beloved people, you will definitely become a super mom and will feel all the pleasure of maternity. Ability to be parents is a great gift, mainly because there is no more pleasure in this life than to give birth to innocent baby from someone you love.

September 30, 2014

Kumon Free Trial

I’ve learned about Kumon three years ago when I enrolled my son in his first Summer Class. I always hear good reviews about Kumon because I have mommy friends who enrolled their kids in Kumon. After three years, I finally took advantage of the 2 weeks free trial. I’ve read it online so I told my husband about it.

Last week of August we went to Kumon to register but my son was not interested. He doesn’t even want to enter the room so we were told to take the assessment next week during the Parent’s Orientation. The staff just asked me about my son’s age, grade level, and if my son can read already.

I took the Math Free Trial and the starting point is 5A101. I was not happy with our starting point because I know that it is so easy for my son. My son can already spell numbers 1 to 100 and the worksheet is just “find the number and connect the dots. He learned this when he was in Nursery.

I’m aware that we will start at a level lower than the school grade level because they want to start at a comfortable level wherein the kids would enjoy doing a lot of worksheets. But in my son’s case, he was so bored doing the worksheets and nilalaro lang niya.

After answering one week of worksheets and attending two days class in the center. I decided not to continue the 2-week free trial, I just feel that Kumon is not what we need. For someone who has a very limited budget, I don’t want to waste P1800 every month for worksheets that are lower than my son’s grade level. (two years below) I don’t know how long will it take before we reach his level. Baka grade 1 na siya wala pa kami sa Division. Well, this is just my opinion.

For your information, Kumon is not a tutorial center because they want kids to develop good study habits, and to be independent and self-learners. My son was doing his worksheets on his own. Kumon is not a quick fix, so it will take time before you see the improvement or benefits of it. It is not a short-term summer program that you can take every summer.

September 24, 2014

Play Dough Mats

My son had fun when I printed play dough mats last month, you can check my post here. So just this week, I printed another set of play dough mat and while covering the mats with plastic cover, my son saw it and requested to have a yellow play dough.

I cooked play dough yesterday while he was in school and he was really surprised when he arrived and saw the play dough in our table. He hugged me and said I love you mommy! #cheesy

Anyway, we played with the new play dough mats last night.

Apple tree and Snow Tree

Cactus + Sun

This is my work! :)

Click here for the homemade play dough recipe.
Click here to download the play dough mats.

September 22, 2014

Purple Oven: Pistachio Stardust Cake

I’ve been meaning to try the Pistachio Stardust Cake but every time we visit their store it is not available. Two weeks ago, we went to Nuvali and I saw the Pistachio Stardust Cake but I did not buy it because I remembered that we have just baked Rainbow Cupcake again.

Last Saturday after visiting my grandmother in Victoria, Laguna, we dropped at Nuvali to pay bills and finally, I bought the Pistachio Stardust Cake P800. This is the third cake that I have tried in Purple Oven, the first one is Grandma’s Chocolate Cake and the second one was Classic Sansrival.

Pistachio Stardust Cake is a chiffon cake covered with pistachio icing cream. I even gave some slice to my friends and one friend said, “malambot pa sa mamon”. Hehehe! This friend is not into sweets so she liked the cake because it is not sweet.

September 16, 2014

Dulce de Leche French Toast

What do you usually do with your stale bread? If I’m not lazy I will make bread pudding but the easiest way to save the stale bread is making French Toast. Last Sunday, I’ve made Dulce de Leche French Toast. The steps are the same with French Toast, the only difference is the spread, you can use Nutella or any spread you want.

1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 tbsp of sugar
6 slices of bread
Butter
1/2 tbsp cinnamon powder (optional)
Dulce de Leche

1. Beat egg, then add milk and sugar.
2. Spread Dulce de Leche in one slice of bread and put another slice of bread to make a sandwich.
3. Soak the bread in egg mixture just enough to coat the bread.

4. Heat your pan and put butter.
5. Place your bread in the pan and cook until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side,
6. Slice in half and serve.

* You can add cinnamon in your egg mixture or sprinkle it before serving the French Toast.

September 10, 2014

Oven Baked Steak + Gravox Traditional Gravy

Steak is one of favorite food so I always look for steak if we’re eating on the buffet. Happy na ko pag may steak but of course, it should be tender and flavorful. I do cook grilled steak at home but it was year 2011 when I first tried to cook Oven Baked Steak, see it here.

I can’t remember the last time I cooked Oven Baked Steak so last Sunday, I cooked this again so we can try the Gravox Traditional Gravy. Yes, I also bought this aside from Gravox Roast Chicken with Herbs Gravy.

Preheat oven to 225C
Season the beef. I only used pepper, salt and garlic.

Sear the beef in butter.

Put slices of butter on top of the beef and bake for 30 minutes or depending on your preferred doneness.

It was a hit again to my family and my son even said, “Mommy I love beef”. The gravy sauce is good and my husband told me again na kalasa ng Gravox gravy sauce yung gravy ng ibang restaurant na nakainan niya. I still have half a kilo of beef in my fridge so I will cook this again.

Read: Oven Baked Steak + Potatoes

September 01, 2014

Fun with Clay or Play Dough

The first time experience of my son with play dough was three years ago, I bought Play-Doh Cars 2 Mold N Go weeks before his third birthday. He loves Lightning Mcqueen so he really enjoyed his toy but he stopped playing because he ran out of play dough. I checked the play doh in the department store and the price is expensive for my budget.

Thank God for Pinterest because I found recipe for homemade play dough and my son started playing with his toy again. You can check the step by step here.

Inspite of the mess, there are several benefits of play dough like developing the fine motor skills, it enhance the imagination and creativity and it calm and soothe even adults. Honestly, I love playing play doh, I wanted to have this when I was a kid but no money for that.

If you remember my post last year, we had fun with clay modelling in Nuvali.

My son received a gift of clay set last Christmas and I bought this book last summer to entertain him.

Last week I printed this play dough mats from Pinterest. You can print it in regular paper and paste it in old folder or print it in cardboard paper to make it sturdy. You can laminate the paper but I just cover it with plastic cover. I've made homemade play dough again.