Michi Photostory

December 27, 2014

Olaf Party

I know that Christmas is already over, but I still want to share my son’s Christmas party on December 19, 2014. As I mentioned in my DIY Olaf Hat post, the theme was Olaf/Frozen Party. I know, some of you will raise eyebrows dahil sa walang kamatayan na Frozen theme. Hehehe! But kids love Olaf, Princess Ana, and Princess Elsa.

I was happy because parents could join the Christmas party. So, I asked my husband to take a vacation leave so he could come with us because this would be the last Christmas party that parents could attend. We were requested to wear something white, blue, or aqua blue.

Everything was organized by the active moms in school, the fee is P300 per kid and an additional P150 for extra food which is Shakey’s meal. You can also pledge for additional food and I brought brownies at the party. Kids brought a pack of candies two days before the party for the loot bags.

I was amazed when I saw the backdrop of the party, super talented ng mga nagprepare, and no doubt that our section won the “Best Christmas Decor” from preschool to college.

Photo from our FB group

Thanks to one mom who pledges for Olaf mascot sobrang tuwa lang ng kids.

My son was very happy with all his gifts and prizes.

December 26, 2014

Mrs. Fields Sugar Cookies

I just realized that having an advent calendar is not easy because we have to do an activity for 24 days. There are times that we missed doing an activity because we’re too tired already like “watch a favorite Christmas movie”, “record yourself singing a favorite Christmas song” and “bake Christmas cookies”.

I can’t remember what date is the "baking cookies" but my son wanted to make a Christmas tree cookie so even I was really tired last December 23, we still baked. Good thing I have instant cookie mix which I bought when we had Field trip in Subic.

It was my first time to try Mrs. Fields instant cookie mix and I followed the direction but I don’t know why the dough is too runny so I can’t use the cookie cutter and rolling pin.

I ended up using scoop again to make a cookie but my son wanted to have a Christmas tree cookie so my husband put the dough inside the cookie cutter and I baked it with cookie cutter. Hehehe!

Well, my son was happy and finished his Christmas tree cookie. Now I was looking for cookie recipe where I can use my cookie cutter and rolling pin.

December 23, 2014

Holiday Baking with my Son

Most of the time I prefer baking alone to avoid spills and mess. But baking is one way to bond with my son since he loves mixing. It also one way to teach him in reading, following instructions and measurements.

Thank God for instant mixes because it makes my baking life easier. Last Thursday, our advent calendar activity is “Bake something for someone special”. The timing is right because we can bring the brownies in his school Christmas party.

We love this triple chocolate brownie mix of Ghirardelli, I’ve been buying this for years already. My son read the instructions and mix all the ingredients which is egg, oil, water and instant mix while I preheat the oven and transfer the batter in the baking pan. I bake another batch of brownies the following day.

The Christmas Party theme is Olaf/Frozen so I printed cupcake topper for decorations.

Click here and here for the free Frozen printables.
P.S. The brownies are really yummy. First time na makatikim nito, gusto ng umorder ng brownies. But I always say, instant mix lang yan. :)

December 22, 2014

Christmas Gift Ideas: Food

Christmas is the time of giving and thinking what gift to give is already a challenge especially if the person is not close to us, if the budget is limited or if you think the person has everything.

If I’m having a hard time buying gifts, I always buy food because I know people love to eat. I can make homemade gifts like what I did two years ago but I was busy as a bee this year so I just bought gifts. Sharing with you the gifts that I bought this year that won’t hurt your pocket. A gift that you can give to teachers, classmates, school services or officemates to show your thoughtfulness.

I saw this M&M box when we went to Subic Duty-Free after our Zoobic Safari trip. I find it so cute so I bought a few pieces. I printed this M&M Christmas poem which I pinned years ago. Click here to download

“As you hold these candies in your hand and turn them, you will see the M becomes a W, an E and then a 3.

E is for the East where the star shone so bright
M is for the manger where the baby Jesus slept at night
3 is for the wise men bearing gifts, with which they came.
W is for worship, Hallelujah! Praise His name”

A pack of kisses and all you have to do is stick a Christmas tag or stickers.

Can of cookies. I printed a tag “Calories don’t count on Holidays! Guilt-free dessert” Click here for the free printables.

You can also buy gifts in Marks & Spencer, you can find a gift for as low as P65 with free wrapping pa (paper bag).

Remember

“May no gift be too small to give, nor too simple to receive, which is wrapped in thoughtfulness and tied with love - LO Baird”

December 20, 2014

DIY Olaf Hat Costume

My son’s Christmas party theme in school is Olaf/Frozen so they were asked to wear a touch of blue, white, and aqua blue. He wanted to wear aqua blue and I went to different malls to check for an aqua blue shirt/polo shirt but I couldn’t find anything. I was trying to persuade him to wear blue or white since we have that at home. And to finally convince him, I made a DIY Olaf Hat Costume.

I didn’t know where I could buy felt cloth so I bought felt paper, but sadly I couldn’t find black/white felt paper in the four National Bookstores that I’ve visited. Good thing I remember his firefly costume so I used some materials of his costume to make his Olaf hat such as black felt paper, brown ribbon, and the antenna.

I got the idea on this site, but there was no template for everything. I just printed the Olaf picture, got the eyebrow pattern, and drew shapes for the eyes and nose. Fortunately, his dad has a white cap from fun run freebies.

Materials

Felt paper
Fabric paper for the nose
Oslo paper
Brown Ribbon
Wire
Glue
Glue gun/ glue sticks
Scissors
Cotton for filler (nose)

I trace my pattern in felt paper and oslo paper.

Cut and paste everything together. Place cotton inside the nose. Cover the wire with brown ribbon.

Attach everything to the cap using glue gun.

I made three circles for his white polo shirt. I sew the circles so it won’t ruin the shirt.

My son was happy with our DIY Olaf Hat Costume.

December 19, 2014

DIY Build a Snowman

We’ve been doing a lot of DIY and craft this month because of the advent calendar activity and day 16 was the last craft that we did “Make a Christmas Craft”

For the longest time, my son wanted to experience snow and build a snowman. Oh yes, he wanted a real snow and we all know that we don’t have snow in the Philippines. I don’t know when I can grant his wish but for now, we can “Build a snowman” using this template.

While my son was in school, I cut the snowman template and put everything in a zip lock.

Before we study for his 4th monthly test, I let him do the activity. I gave him a notebook where he can paste the snowman.

Do you want to build a snowman? Click here for the snowman template.

December 16, 2014

DIY Paper Christmas Ornaments

Our day 12 advent calendar activity last Friday is “Make a new ornament for your tree” and I was asking my son if we can do the ornament the following day because I’m tired already. I finished all his reviewers for the 4th monthly test kasi but he did not agree with me. He said, “No, day 12 is an ornament, we will make ornament today”

So after our dinner, we’re still making an ornament. We’re supposed to make salt dough ornament but when I checked the baking time, waah! I can’t wait anymore so I just printed a snowflake pattern.

Materials
Snowflake template
Paper Plate/Cardboard
Glue
Scissors
Glitter
Thread

I cut the pattern and paste it on the paper plate. I don’t have cardboard so I just use a paper plate.

Cut the snowflake, put glue and I let my son put all the glitters. I only have gold and green glitters and my son chose green.

Let it dry, place a thread and hang it on the tree.

Kakulay lang ng Christmas tree

This is the second DIY ornament on our tree, click here for our first DIY ornament and click here for the snowflake pattern

December 12, 2014

Promil Pre-School is Formulated with Nutrissentials to Unleash the Natural Potential of Every Child

My son is already 6 years old and until now he is still drinking two glasses of milk every day. He is not really picky eater but he is not interested in eating food, most of the time it will take him 30 minutes to 1 hour just to finish his meal so I really make sure that he is still drinking milk so he can have more nutrients.

Two days ago I received this package that includes healthy snacks and puzzle. My son was so excited when he saw the puzzle. Most of the time if he can’t solve the puzzle, he will ask for help but with this puzzle, he finished it all by himself.

As I mentioned, the basket includes healthy snacks such as Fruit and Nuts in Yogurt, California Almonds with Sea Salt and Freeze Dried Crunchies. All these snacks contain nutrients that can be easily found in Promil Pre-School.

Fruit and Nuts in Yogurt - is a protein bar coated in yogurt, which is rich in whey protein to help strengthen the muscles and enable new cells to develop.

California Almonds Sea Salt - tasty snack which are good source of unsaturated fats that help lower bad cholesterol and blood pressure.

Freeze Dried Crunchies - snack contains high quality carbohydrates that are essential to help give the body energy to reach it’s full potential.

Press Release

Every parent wants the best for their children – from providing the highest quality of education, all the way down to basic resources that he or she may need. Parents are always on the look out for everything and anything to equip their children to reach their full potential, and proper nutrition is no exception.

Recent studies show that 2 cups of milk is optimal for most preschoolers1. It is one of the best sources of Vitamin D and Calcium1 because it is composed of 3 basic foundation nutrients – Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats2. While these macronutrients are present in every glass of milk, the quality of the milk is not always the same.

A good balance of high quality foundation nutrients are needed to unleash the natural potential of every child. The best way to decode the nutrition puzzle is to understand these basic nutrients.

Carbohydrates are energy-providing nutrients. They can also be separated into groups based on the Glycemic Index, which measures how high and how quickly blood glucose levels change after eating carbohydrates. For a healthy diet, it is best to focus on high-quality carbohydrates or foods with low Glycemic Index, including dairy products like milk.

Proteins are the building blocks of cells. They make up the framework upon which all cells are built. High-quality or complete proteins contain all the indispensable amino acids in the appropriate amounts needed by humans. An excellent source of high-quality proteins is milk, whose major proteins are whey and casein, which are both excellent sources of all essential amino acids.

Contrary to popular belief, not all fats are bad for the body. Fats play an important role, helping the body maintain its core temperature, absorb nutrients, and provide an alternate source of energy when carbohydrates are not available. Fats can be classified into saturated fats and unsaturated fats. The healthier dietary fats are mostly unsaturated, which are further classified into Monosaturated fats, Polyunsaturated fats, and Omega-3 fatty acids.

Promil Pre-School, trusted by generations, is formulated with Nutrissentials – high quality foundation nutrients such as unsaturated fats from plant-based oil, carbohydrates with lactose, and whey protein, which are sourced from the best of nature and strengthened by science.

Today, Promil Pre-School also contains DHA Omega-3, AA Omega-6 and Lutein to help brain development and promote a healthy vision.

Help your child reach his full potential with proper guidance, proper care, and proper nutrition. Nurture the gift with Promil Pre-School.

December 11, 2014

Lighting Ideas for the Home

Sponsored by Imperial Building & Roofing.

Christmas is coming which means one thing - it’s time to adorn the house full of Christmas decorations and fairy lights. Here are a few ideas to make sure this festive season is one to remember.

Ideas for your interior

Forget about old Jack Frost. There’s no reason why your home shouldn't exude warmth this winter. My first tip is to focus on color. When you return home after a hard day’s work, the lighting can play an important role in helping you to relax and enjoy the Christmas spirit. Green and red are the perfect festive combination. Wrap your Christmas tree up in colorful lights to create that festive feel, or if you’re more of a minimalist, focus on some simple, delicate and warm lighting like a Christmas themed table lamp. This can really help to create a relaxing mood.

If candlelight is your thing – and believe me, it can make all the difference – consider creating your own cranberry luminaries. They create a wonderful effect for both indoor and outdoor decor and are really easy to make. All you need are some tea light candles, a glass, fake snow, cranberries and a handful of fir branches. Simply fill the glass half full with fake snow, situate the tea light on top, sprinkle with some cranberries and place on a bed of fir branches.

There are plenty of decorations that you can make yourself. Why not try making some paper bag lanterns? These cute and quirky adornments take only a matter of minutes to make. Use a stencil to cut out a design on your paper bag and place an LED light inside. If you want to take it that little step further you can match the color of the lights with your other decorations to create an added effect that you won’t regret.

Ideas for your exterior

Share your Christmas spirit with the neighbors with some outdoor decor. Hang some lanterns from the roof of your shed or garage or decorate a window box with greenery and lights.

Our favorite outdoor Christmas decorations are trees sprinkled with fairy lights. Simply wrap the fairy lights around the branches of the tree to create a stunning, eye-catching decoration that will have the neighbors jumping on the bandwagon. Before you know it the full street will light up creating an extra special Christmas feel.

December 10, 2014

DIY Santa Card

Since there was no classes yesterday, my son immediately get his day 9 activity in his advent calendar. Our activity was “Make Christmas cards to give your family”.

Our activity wasn’t prepared yet so I told him that we will do it after we study his lessons. I need to refresh his memory at 5 days na wala pasok for sure may surprise quiz na naman. Hehehe!

Materials:
Santa card template
Art Paper
Card board
Scissors
Glue
Pentel pen
Crayon

I printed the Santa card template, cut and trace in cardboard paper. In one sheet of paper we were able to make 3 Santa card.

Cut the paper.

Paste the art paper and color the shoes using black pentel pen.

I’m doing almost all the work. My son just helped me in coloring the face and nose.

After that we start pasting the parts. One step at a time so my son can follow me and he did it.

We enjoyed making these Santa cards, the not so fun part is tracing and cutting the parts. #masakitsakamay. The card is so small so it could be use as a gift tag.

There is no instruction how to make this card so I just followed the picture. Click here to get the Santa Card Template

7 Crafty Projects You've Never Tried with your Home Printer

I love making craft, that is why I always check the Pinterest site for possible art, DIY and craft projects. I love printing note cards, stickers, tags, and even party kit but little did I know that there are more crafty projects that I can try with the printer. Check the infographic.

7 Crafty Projects You've Never Tried With Your Printer – An infographic by the team at StinkyInk.com

December 09, 2014

What Habits may Hurt Getting Pregnant

When I got married, I feel that getting pregnant is as easy as 1,2,3 so I took pills after we got married because I don’t want to get pregnant yet. After 18 months, I decided to stop taking pills and I was lucky that I got pregnant after two months. I was blessed because I have no fertility issues because I know someone who got pregnant after 12 years of being married. They did everything just to have a baby.

From our friends at Pregnancy Tips.org, there are many couples out there who are suffering from fertility issues. Some studies estimate that one in six couples has some sort of a fertility problem, whether it be a male fertility issue, a female fertility issue, an unexplained issue, or an issue with more than one thing. While fertility issues are actually pretty common these days, not all of them need extensive or expensive fertility treatments in order to be reversed or “fixed”.

In fact, there are lots of things that couples can do themselves that can go a long way towards boosting their fertility. A big one is a weight. If a woman is underweight or overweight, that can affect her fertility. Bad habits like smoking, drug use, alcohol, and caffeine can all affect fertility as well. Too many junk foods, processed foods, sugary snacks, and sweets can really be detrimental to fertility as well, so eating a healthy well-balanced diet is very important. Reducing stress, getting plenty of sleep, and trying to be as healthy as possible overall is the best way to help to boost fertility on your own.