Michi Photostory

April 24, 2016

Dinner at Hukad by Golden Cowrie

If you remember my previous post, during our first night in Cebu we were supposed to eat in CnT Lechon but it was already closed so I told hubby sa Hukad na lang but the restaurant was packed and we were told na pang-6 kami sa waiting list. Waah!

We don’t want to wait anymore so we went back to food court to eat our dinner. The following day, we went back to Hukad by Golden Cowrie to have our dinner. My husband always eats at Golden Cowrie in Lahug, I don’t know if the two restaurants are sister companies.

Thank God, pang-1 lang kami sa waiting list and waiting time was not that long. I noticed that most of the diners were families and friends, as in parang kaming tatlo lang pinakakonti sa table. Hehehe!

Hukad by Golden Cowrie serves Filipino foods. We ordered tinolang lapu-lapu, baked scallops, calamares, and pork bbq for my son. I can’t remember the exact price of each meal but the bill is P900+, mura na because we have 4 viands, 3 unlimited rice, and 3 drinks.

The staff informed us about the buttons, “just say hukad some more for extra rice”. But I did not ask for extra rice anymore, sa laki ng sandok nila parang 2 cups of rice na yata yun. Hehehe!

The plate is different too.

The taste of the food is good except for the calamares, ang alat niya. When we asked for the bill, the staff asked us “kung pwede daw ba niya malaman kung bakit di naubos yung calamares”. We said, maalat! Itake-out sana namin kung di maalat. (sayang)

The service is good and fast, the staff will ask you if you need anything or how’s the food. If I live in Cebu, this will be my go-to Filipino restaurant, I just hope napaalat lang talaga calamares that time. Hehehe!

Hukad by Golden Cowrie
The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu

April 23, 2016

CnT Lechon

Cebu is known as the Lechon Capital of the world so every time I visit Cebu, I always eat lechon. If my husband has a business trip in Cebu, he never fails to buy lechon for my pasalubong. After 5 years, I revisited Cebu so after dropping our bag at the hotel, off we went to Ayala Mall to eat our dinner. Unfortunately, CnT Lechon is already closed, waah! No more lechon.

So the following day, my son and I went back to Ayala Center Cebu to have an early lunch. Pag naubusan pa naman ako niyan. Hehehe! I ordered 1/4 lechon P152.50 and puso P8 each (rice).

Ethan: Mommy, ayaw niyang yellow.
Me: Rice yung loob niyan. Hehehe!

I don’t know why it is called puso, maybe because of the shape. As always, I'm happy with our lechon, the skin was crispy and the meat was tender and flavorful. No need for sauce.

Read: Cebu's Lechon

April 22, 2016

Bonifacio High Street

Few days ago, my son and I went to Bonifacio High Street to kill time. We’re going to Cebu but my husband needs to attend his business meeting first. At first, I was thinking to spend our time in Kidzania but since the rate is not cheap, sayang naman if we will just stay for few hours since we need to leave at lunchtime to catch our afternoon flight.

So we just stroll and checked what’s new in BHS. We saw the replica of the Louvre Pyramid. According to Wikipedia, the Louvre Pyramid (Pyramide du Louvre) is a large glass and metal pyramid designed by Chinese American architect I.M. Pei. It is surrounded by three smaller pyramids, in the main courtyard (Cour Napoléon) of the Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre). It was completed in 1989 and has become a landmark of the city of Paris.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa was also there. The Leaning Tower of Pisa or Tower of Pisa (Torre di Pisa) is the campanile or freestanding bell tower of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa. It is known worldwide for its unintended tilt. Oh di ba parang nagtravel na rin kami.

We did not see the Merlion, san ba banda yun?

Then we had breakfast again at Starbucks, “wednesdate”. I ordered white chocolate mocha, french toast and chocolate dipped donut. We did not finish the food, too sweet for my taste. My son practices cursive writing to keep him busy.

After 1 hr and 30minutes we left Starbucks to check the different stores and Timezone, only to find out na late pala sila magbukas. Waah! Ang init tumambay sa labas, nakakahiya naman pumasok sa Krispy Kreme or Starbucks ng di bibili.

Finally, my husband called and we will go airport na. Yey! Finally, makakalabas na rin ng Luzon, it’s been two years. Lol

April 21, 2016

White King Puto

I’ve been cooking puto with cheese using pancake mix for the longest time. It is an easy recipe that I can prepare for our merienda. But for a change, I bought this White King Puto Mix P36 to check kung mas ok ba siya. I was surprised because there is no egg in this recipe.

200g White King Puto Mix
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
5 tbsp of cooking oil
Cheese

1. Boil water in a steamer.
2. Combine the mix and water until well blended. Add sugar and mix for 30 seconds. Gradually add cooking oil and continue mixing until smooth. Pour into puto molders about 3/4 full.
3. Steam for 15-20 minutes. Puto is cooked when the surface is shiny and bounces back when pressed.

Honestly, I can’t taste the difference between my puto using pancake mix and this White King puto mix. I already ate 4 pieces of puto, trying to find out kung ano pagkakaiba, lol. I was expecting na lasa siyang malagkit but no. So for me, you can use pancake mix or this puto mix and you will have yummy puto in several minutes.

Read: Puto with Cheese using Maya Pancake Mix

April 20, 2016

Cool in the Pool

My son doesn’t like to enroll in any summer class or activity so we’re just spending our summer vacation at home. Napakaproductive ng summer namin, lol!

April 11

My friend told me about their swimming plans and asked me if I wanted to join. Of course, I said yes, parang wala pa nangyayari sa summer namin. Nagsabi agad ko na daanan nila bago nagpaalam. Hehehe! I know my husband will say yes too ng makalabas naman kami. I messaged my husband about the swimming plans and he said yes.

April 14

We woke up early and I asked my husband to drop us at my friend’s house then off we went to my friend’s condo for our outing. When my friend told me about the P200 fee (visitor), I said ang mahal naman parang resort na. Lol. But I realized, the price is worth it na rin because we don’t have to pay for the cottage or corkage fee.

In addition, the place was not crowded, maybe because it was a weekday and the residents are busy working or sawa na sa pool nila. So if you have a tight budget this summer, makiswimming in your friend’s condo or clubhouse. :) We let the kids swim for a few hours.

They spent several minutes in the playground and we went to Market Market for our lunch. Then window shopping at SM Aura.

My friends wanted to drop by at San Pedro Calungsod Chapel at the 7th flr, nakakahingal umakyat dito tapos may elevator naman pala. Nakakaloka, magkatabi lang yung stairs at elevator hindi namin napansin.

Then we bought ice cream at Baskin Robbins. I chose Jamocha while my son chose Chocolate Chips. (P85 1 scoop) My son tried my ice cream and said “Mommy switch tayo!”

As if I have a choice, lol, wala naman kasi lasa yung chocolate chips niya but I like the Jamocha na isang tikim lang nagawa ko.

April 16, 2016

Hot Wheels Epic Race Experience

Boys love cars or should I say Hot Wheels! My son really likes Hot Wheels, it was his wish list last December 2014 and since then we’ve been collecting cars and race track.

Hot Wheels

We’ve been buying Hot Wheels toys for the last two years but I hate to admit it was only now that I’ve learned the history of Hot Wheels. For your information, Hot Wheels is a brand of 1:64, 1:43, 1:18 and 1:50 scale die-cast toy cars introduced by American toy maker Mattel in 1968.

In 1950’s, Ruth Elliot Handler, founders of Mattel, brought the now-iconic fashion doll Barbie to life. Elliot was looking to invent another toy. Something that not only would capture kid’s imagination, but ignite as well. As he went to the parking lot of Mattel, he saw a designer’s custom ‘64 El Camino and examined, “Man, those are some hot wheels!” It was the spark of inspiration that led to a line of cars with a distinctive Southern California look, fast-moving wheels and redline tires.

Akalain mo yun, matanda pa sa kin si Hot Wheels. Anyway, last year we were able to attend the Hot Wheels Race to Singapore Grand Prix at SM Southmall, it just so happened that we were in that area and we saw their booth. We bought Hot Wheels so my son can use the race track and he had a blast.

Read: Hot Wheels Race to Singapore Grand Prix

This month, I got an invite for the Hot Wheels Make it Epic Race 2016 and I was glad that we're available on that date so I said yes.

“Make it Epic” is rooted in the overall Hot Wheels brand purpose: Exhilaration and Achievement for every kid.

“Make It” is the call-to-action to all boys to show what they can do with Hot Wheels through customization and competition, through imagination and hacks, through cool cars and a daring attitude. This encourages and enables boys to experience a sense of achievement.

“Epic” is a challenge to boys to make Hot Wheels play bigger, faster, higher, cooler, louder, anywhere, anyway. It is the promise of Exhilaration.

It’s more than just a tagline, it’s a challenge. “Don’t just make it awesome, make it epic”

SM BF Parañaque South Qualifying April 16 -17, 2016

The booth is smaller compared to SM Southmall (2015) maybe because there is an event beside their booth. The setup is also different; if last year, there are ready race track that you can use, this time, you are free to build your own race track.

There is Gravity Platform that you can use to play or try your winning cars.

A living diorama is also onsite, it will give you an idea how to improve your race track at home.

My son had fun in building race tracks and playing cars in the gravity platform. So if you have kids from 3-12 years, visit SM BF Parañaque to join the Make it Epic Race. Click here for the video

How to Join:

1. Purchase at least two Hot Wheels Basic Cars from the participating store.
2. Maximum 2 trials car, the fastest speed will be recorded.
3. Top 20 (fastest speed record) will be shortlisted to join the Area Qualifying Rounds.

I suggest you go there before 3PM so you have more time to enjoy the race tracks and practice your Hot Wheels.

SM San Lazaro North Qualifying April 23 and 24
May 14 Semi-Finals at SM Mall of Asia
May 15 - Finals at SM Mall of Asia

Fun Facts:

1. Since 1968, more than 1,000 models and over 20,000 variations of Hot Wheels cars have been created.
2. They make 8.9 million cars every week. That’s more than five times the worldwide production of life-size cars.
3. Worldwide: 10.5 cars sold every second.
4. 6,000 miles of orange track are produced and sold each year - enough to go from Los Angeles, USA to Rome, Italy.
5. 1.1MM die-cast sold for 2015 in the Philippines.
6. #1 selling sku at Toy Kingdom and Toy Kingdom Express for 2015 based on units sold.
7. #2 brand of Toy Kingdom and Toy R Us for boys last 2015. (#1 Star Wars Movie)

Hot Wheels has Speedtropolis and Track Builder Set. I saw the video of the starter kit, you can build 4 different race tracks, nice noh!

April 12, 2016

Staycation: Vivere Hotel & Resort

Our family loves staycation, it is our way to celebrate, reward or destress from our busy lives. It is a good way to relax and enjoy ourselves without hurting our budget. Traveling is not really cheap, you really need to spend money but “travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer”.

Last February, my siblings and I were planning for a family outing and I suggested Vivere Hotel. We took advantage their Lenten Promo, reserving a room is not easy. I don’t know why but it took us 11 days just to reserve a room which I have never experienced in other hotels. I will share it at the end of my post.

Vivere Hotel and Resort is a five-star hotel in Southern Metro Manila, offering 200 different rooms in their 31-storey building. I believe this is the first luxury hotel in Alabang. We’ve been to three other luxury hotels in Alabang so I’m happy that I finally crossed this out on my list.

Read: Staycation in Alabang

After my husband’s dental appointment, off we went to Vivere Hotel for our Easter Staycation. We parked in the basement and went to reception to check-in. I was surprised by their charges, I thought the P9000 is already my downpayment for the three rooms but my brother told me that he was also charged P9000, so he verified this with the staff and was advised that it is really the charge, P5000 downpayment, and P4000 for incidental deposit.

It was past 1PM when they ushered us to our room. Every floor is secured because you need the key card just to enter the hallway. They say that there are no two rooms alike in this hotel but when I checked my siblings room, di naman pansin gaano yung pagkakaiba.

Let me show you our De Luxe Room. The room is not really big but it has a living room and kitchen. The kitchen has a microwave oven, fridge, and sink. If you want to save money, you can just bring your food and reheat it.

I was disappointed with the bed. The promo is good for 2 adults and 2 kids so I was expecting a king-sized bed or at least two double beds but this bed is good for couples only, pwede three kung slim. I stayed in Vivere Azure and the bed is really huge so I thought Vivere Hotel has the same size of the bed.

The bathroom has a bathtub but the toiletries are not VMV Hypoallergenics.

Read: Vivere Azure in Anilao, Batangas

2PM is check-in time but my sister’s room was not ready so they left their things in our room. We went to the Lama Pool at 3PM so the kids can swim.

For dinner, we went to Yabu at Alabang Town Center, and we availed of the free shuttle service of the hotel.

The following day, we ate our breakfast at The Nest “Dining in the Sky”. The restaurant is not that big, you can choose to eat inside or beside the pool.

I was surprised to see the buffet spread, it is not that big compared to other luxury hotels. The choices were limited but it is enough to satisfy our hungry stomachs. The taste of the food is good and I enjoyed my roast pork. Good thing my son is free of charge because he only ate pancakes and bread.

Then we went to Kid’s Club on the 8th floor, the Jacuzzi is located on the same floor but we haven’t tried it.

We went to the lobby to buy the “A Hoppy Easter” ticket but were advised to get the ticket on the 2nd floor. We attended mass at 9AM and went straight to the Easter event on the same floor.

Read: Easter Egg Hunt at Vivere Hotel
Watch the video here.

We checked out after the Easter event.

Likes:

1. The room is not big but it has a kitchen and living room. Two televisions inside the room.
2. The bathroom has a bathtub.
3. Free wi-fi and shuttle service.
4. Service is good except in reserving a room and check-in time.
5. The hotel has a pool, jacuzzi, game area, and kid’s club so you have something to do without leaving the hotel.
6. Complimentary drinks are available in the lobby (coffee, tea and juice). In our room, there are 2 complimentary bottled water and canned juice.

Dislikes:

1. The bed is good for only 2 people.
2. Like I said, reserving a room is not easy.

February 27, my sister-in-law called and reserved 3 rooms. She was advised that our rooms were already confirmed and to wait for the email. One week passed and we did not receive any email.

March 5, I personally went to the hotel, I asked them about my sister-in-law’s reservation and I was shocked na wala daw reservation. So I reserved three rooms again, I was asked to fill out the form and wait for an email. I find it so weird, I was already there, why do I need to wait for an email.

March 7, still no email, I made a follow-up but I don’t know why they are still asking for the details. I already filled out the form last March 5 and everything was there, so useless ang pagpunta ko dun at pagsulat sa form. Wala na naman sa system nila.

I received the confirmation voucher pero mali yung details, I told them about their promo “free buffet breakfast for 2 adults and 2 kids”.

March 8, I received the confirmation voucher with the correct details. I signed it and sent it back to them. Imagine, it took us 11 days just to reserve a room. Tinawagan, email at pinuntahan ko pa.

If you remember my post last February, they did not answer my email so we just reserved a room in Vivere Azure.

3. Check-in time is 2PM, my brother and I were lucky that our rooms were ready before 2PM but my sister was not happy because they waited till 4:30PM just to get their key. She was not alone, marami din guests ang mainit na ang ulo na nahihintay.

I don’t think it is a good idea to wait for the guests to vacate the room and let the next guests wait. To compensate, they offered late check-out for my sister but my sister did not stay till 4:30PM, sumabay din siya sa min.

I don’t think that the hotel is fully booked because sa floor lang namin, may mga vacant rooms. Maybe because it was a promo rate so wait talaga na magkaroon ng Deluxe room. In The Manila Hotel, when our room was not available during our check-in, they upgraded us to Suite Room.

Read: The Manila Hotel

4. The staff failed to inform us about the charges during the check-in and I forgot to ask about the details too since I already received a text from my credit card company that P9000 has been charged. I thought the P9000 is already my downpayment for the three rooms.

Despite the dislikes, my family enjoyed our Easter Staycation at Vivere Hotel. I do hope they will improve their reservation process or else maghahanap na lang ng ibang hotel ang guest.

April 11, 2016

Buko Pandan

Buko Pandan is one easy dessert that I always prepare if we have a family get together in our house. I don’t have yaya or helper so I always look for easy recipes that I can prepare so it would not be stressful.

We’re supposed to eat DIY halo-halo last Saturday but crashed ice was not available so my husband bought ginataang halo-halo (ginataang bilo-bilo). It was a warm merienda and I was craving for cold dessert to ease the summer heat.

We always have buko juice every week (market day) so I said to my husband that I will make Buko Pandan so ipakayod niya na lang yung laman. Pinapapak lang kasi namin lagi so for a change I will make dessert.

Like I said Buko Pandan is an easy dessert, all you need to do is mix the ingredients, the only ingredient that you need to cook is the gulaman jelly.

2 box of alsa green gulaman jelly
Few drops of pandan essence
1 can of condensed milk
1 pack of all purpose cream
1 bottle of nata de coco (drained)
3 coconut (shredded)

1. Cook the gulaman. Follow the package directions. Add few drops of pandan essence while cooking your gulaman.
2. Set aside and cool. When the jelly is firm, cut into cubes.
3. In a bowl, mix the shredded buko, nata de coco, gulaman jelly, all purpose cream and condensed milk.
4. Keep it refrigerated and eat.

My husband already ate this after I combined all the ingredients, masarap din naman kahit di pa malamig. Hehehe! You can also add sago if you want. My son likes this dessert without the nata de coco and jelly.

April 07, 2016

Things to do in Bataan

This coming Saturday is another holiday in the Philippines but unfortunately no long weekend for us. April 9 is Araw ng Kagitingan or Day of Valor, aka Bataan Day or Bataan and Corregidor Day. On this day we recall and show respect to all World War II heroes.

Have you been to Bataan?

Bataan is located in Central Luzon region of the Philippines; the capital is Balanga City. Bataan is known for World War II history and Nuclear Power Plant but of course, there are so many things to do in Bataan.

I was already in college when I first visited this province; I have a friend who invited us to their house. It was sembreak so off we went and stayed there for few days. We visited Mt. Samat and went to a resort which I can’t remember the name anymore. Hehehe! Then we had a day trip Corregidor, from their place we just rode a boat to reach Corregidor. (rented)

Do you know that Corregidor is not part of Bataan but it is located in Cavite?

I revisited Corregidor with my family and we availed a tour of Sun Cruises, it is a guided tour so it is a different experience compared to my first visit.

Can you see me?

I live in Southern Luzon so Bataan is really far from where I live but I’ll be sharing with you the places that we have visited during our few trips.

Morong Star Beach Resort and Hotel

From its name, it is located in Morong, Bataan. The resort is big that it can accommodate big groups. I just went there for a seminar so I was not able to tour the whole place. My relatives always visit Parmata Bali Beach Resort which is also located in Morong, Bataan.

Read: Morong Star Beach Resort and Hotel

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is known as heritage resort where you can see different restored houses from different parts of the Philippines. When you entered the place, it seems that you’ve been transported to a different era. It is nice to see and learn the history of each house which I did not learn in my History class.

They do accept day trip and overnight guests but I suggest you stay in the resort so you can also use the swimming pool.

Read: Day Trip in Las Casa Filipinas de Acuzar

The Heritage Resort is located in Bagac, Bataan so on your way to the resort you will pass three tourist spots such as Mt. Samat, Zero Kilometer Death March Marker and Philippine-Japan Friendship Tower.

Read: Bataan Road Trip

The Plaza Hotel in Balanga

The hotel is located in Plaza Mayor de Ciudad de Balanga, where you can see the City Hall, the 18th century Balanga Cathedral and Galleria Victoria Mall. The place already is historical and you will be amazed because the buildings are Spanish inspired.

Cafe Kyoto, a Japanese restaurant is located inside the hotel but if you are not into Japanese food, do not worry because there are fastfoods around the area and Galleria Victoria Mall.

Read: The Plaza Hotel Balanga
Cafe Kyoto

If you are into World War II history, you can go to Balanga Elementary School. Inside the school, you can see the Surrender Site Marker, Torture Chamber and Bataan World War II Museum.

Read: Bataan Historical Site

So far, these are the tourists' spots that we have visited, feel free to share if you have suggestions.

April 05, 2016

A Hoppy Easter at Vivere Hotel

My son had his first Easter Egg Hunt experience two years ago when my friend invited us to their house. My friend prepared the eggs and prizes; all we have to do is bring our potluck to share. The kids and adults had fun finding those eggs, painting eggs, eating, and swimming.

Read: Holy Week 2014

Last year, Easter Sunday came and my son asked if we will go to his friend's house. I asked him why he wants to go there and he said, I want to have Easter Egg Hunt. I realized that he really had fun finding those eggs so I promised that we will do it next year.

I was blessed because my son practices “delayed gratification”, he doesn’t insist on his wants and is willing to wait until the right time comes. When I went to Valenzuela last February, my sister asked me kung di ba daw kami aalis. It’s been a long time since we traveled, kahit overnight lang daw. I suggested different hotels to them but the problem is the schedule, di kami nagkakasundo sa date. Hehehe! So we all decided Holy Week na lang para no classes and no work.

Last February, I was checking different hotels for their Lenten Promo and Easter Egg Hunt Activity. I saw the “You Ought to Live Lenten Offer” of Vivere Hotel and they all agreed. So we had Easter Staycation at Vivere Hotel, which I will share in a separate post.

Click here for video

A Hoppy Easter at Vivere Hotel

Since we did not avail of the “Hoppy Easter Room Accommodation” promo, we don’t have free tickets for the Easter event so after breakfast we went to reception and asked if there are still available tickets. Fortunately, we can still buy the tickets.

We attended Sunday mass on the second floor 9-10AM and went to the Vivere Ballroom on the same floor for the Easter event 10AM-2PM. I purchased the ticket 950++ (P1159 nett) for each person. The tickets are very expensive so I was hoping that it is really worth it.

When I checked the ticket, the program starts at 11AM so we’re still early pala but good thing that we can do the “Egg Painting Activity” while waiting. I did not paint anymore and I just let my son do his own artwork.

He went to the “Glitter Tattoo” booth. There is also a “Decorate a Cupcake” activity. My son was having a hard time squeezing the icing bag but he made it. We gave the cupcake to his cousins who did not join the event so I don’t know if it is good.

The program started at 11AM, the first game is “Bring Me” and my son won one prize. After the game, we had an early lunch. We’re still full from our buffet breakfast at The Nest so konti lang kinain namin. My son just ate two rolls, ice cream and few tablespoon of rice and pork. So luging-lugi kami sa buffet. Hehehe!

The choices for the lunch buffet is very limited, madami pa yung choices namin sa breakfast. They have bread, soup, panini sandwich, salad, roast pork, grilled veggies, potato wedges, pasta (choice of red or white sauce) and scoop of ice cream. The drink is iced tea but I did not notice the drink dispenser.

While eating and waiting for the program, the kids were watching movie.

The program started again, with games for kids and adults. Our dilemma here is we’re not really good in name the tune and title of movies or songs games, so di kami nanalo. Sayang, they are giving away toys pa naman.

Two mascots came, sorry I forgot their name.

Then announcement of Egg Painting winners, we were surprised when my son was part of the winners. We were not expecting it because I’d seen a lot of pretty painted eggs. Maybe, the judge notice na gawang bata talaga. hehehe!

Read: Painting at Sip & Gogh

The last part of the event is Egg Hunting, they provided a basket for each kid. My son was very happy that he got a lot of eggs and won two small prizes.

The program was finished by 1PM, it was a short program but we really enjoyed it. Do you know why? The event was not crowded, para ka lang umattend ng birthday party. It was just a small group so kids have a lot of chances to win or get prizes. The games are not only for kids but for adults too so it was really an event for the whole family.

The loot bag is only for kids, mas ok kung each person since same bayad Hehehe! but we’re happy with our loot. (hindi tinipid).

Things to Improve:

Since P1159 is not cheap, I wish there were more activities for the kids, more food choices and raffle. I was expecting a raffle for adult and kids, mga tipong overnight stay and buffet lunch/dinner prizes kaso wala.

Read: Trick or Treat at Taal Vista Hotel

April 04, 2016

Lucky Me: Baked Mac Style

We don’t usually cook instant noodles at home but I still buy few pieces in the grocery just in case we want to eat pansit canton or we want hot noodles with egg.

We love Lucky Me Pansit Canton but we don’t like pansit canton from scratch. It is weird that we prefer the taste of the instant noodles, lol. Anyway, we love pansit bihon and palabok naman. :)

We attended “A Hoppy Easter” event at Vivere Hotel last Easter Sunday and Lucky Me Baked Mac is included in my son’s loot bag.

Yesterday, I cooked baked mac for our merienda. The pack includes macaroni and sauce.

Cook the pasta, drain and mix the sauce. The color looks pale, it is not the usual red sauce.

I added grated cheese.

Surprisingly, the taste is good. Of course, we still prefer our Baked Mac recipe but if we want baked mac in few minutes, Lucky Me Baked Mac will be an option.

Read: Baked Mac Recipe

April 01, 2016

What Matters Most?

Today is the first day of April and just like that, the first quarter of the year is already over. My son already finished one level in grade school, where did the time go?

Recognition Day

We went to school last Tuesday, it was their Recognition Day and we’re happy because he got a Red Eagle Award again this year. I always say that with or without award we are proud of him because we’ve seen his hard work in doing his best. If I will give him an award, I will give him the most improved student.

When he started going to school, at first he just wanted to play and he is not serious in doing his lessons but as time goes by, he is slowly changing and improving his study habits.

Distribution of School Card

I’m not pushing him to be in overall top but I always tell him that he can do more and I’m happy because he is beating his own record. I just got his school card yesterday and his grades are higher compared last year.

"It shouldn't matter how slowly a child learns, as long as we are encouraging them not to stop"

But getting high grades are not really a top priority because what matters most is his attitude in learning new things, achieving his dreams and believing that he can do something.

Summer Vacation

As I’ve mentioned, today is the first day of April and until now I’m convincing my son to enroll in a summer class. Maybe swimming lessons so he can learn this life skill. He took this class before pero nakalimutan din, maybe because he was just 4 yrs old.

Read: Swimming Lessons
Swimming Graduation

It started last year, my son was not interested in taking any summer class or activity gusto niya lang pahinga sa bahay. Actually, napilit ko lang siya last year na mag McDonalds Kiddie Crew which he really enjoyed naman.

Read: McDonald’s Kiddie Crew Experience
McDonald’s Kiddie Crew Club Card

And because he has no plans yet, we’re doing this “Practice Cursive Writing” since last week. It was funny because when I got his school card yesterday, his teacher told me na practice writing daw. Hehehe! Kelan ba kasi gaganda sulat ng anak ko, nabili ko na lahat yata ng writing activity book sa bookstores.

"I don't have bad handwriting. I have my own font"

"More intelligent people tend to think faster, and as a result their handwriting is more sloppy"

How about you, what are your summer plans?