Upcoming Review: Lillebaby Carryon Airflow

So we've transitioned to a Toddler carrier. Another Tula? Nope, not this time...we ventured into a different SSC (soft-structured carrier) altogether - fabric make, size (it is big!), and if you'd notice a different brand. 

We've had this Lillebaby Carryon Airflow since May of 2016, have used it sparingly in between but only put it to the test today. Did it pass? We'll let you know in our follow up post. 

For now, we're sharing some photos we took while we tested the Lillebaby Carryon Airflow out in the trails of La Mesa Ecopark..on a very h-o-t Sunday morning! :)

P.S. Thank you so much to my friend, Atty. I, for lovingly bringing the Lillebaby carriers for us from the US! Mwaaaahh!!! :D

Recipe: Tuna Melt Sandwich

Since it was pretty much an overcast day, we decided that today's lesson will be devoted to home economics / food prep / cooking :) That's the beauty of homeschooling, especially for this particular age...we can be flexible as we want to be, play as much as we want while incorporating lessons - life lessons in the every day living :)

Lucky that my daughter was really interested to help out in the kitchen. Well, it makes it so much easier when she has her own kiddie-sized apron, her "own" tools (borrowed from mommy)..you get the idea! 

We started by making sure our hands and tools were clean. Of course to a 2-year old, this needs to be emphasized all the time while preparing, cooking and serving. She was very attentive the first 15-20 minutes when I was explaining what the tools/utensils are for, what ingredients we will use and who we will be making these sandwiches for. 

Glad she was still on standby mode by the time I finished chopping the celery and onions - she was still able to mix everything together..yay! :) After which she proceeded to do her own "cooking project". 

Things hopefully she learned/absorbed/taken an interest in today:

• Cleanliness - before, during, after..of ourselves, our counter, our food
• Proper handling of utensils - demonstrated and explained how to open cans, use knife and that she has to ask us for assistance in the meantime
• Measurement - that we can control for taste and nutritional value if we measure our ingredients. She was in charge of adding and mixing in the mayonnaise
• Healthy food choices - that we can make healthy and yummy snacks...and not always look to opening a pack of eggnogs!
• General awareness - I don't know how this should be classified but basically I hope this activity makes her a little more knowledgeable about kitchen / pantry items. That a tomato is called a kamatis, etc.
• Fun fact - I was about to explain what the green leafy stalk was until she yelled, "Mommy, that's the celery crunch ni Jesse Bear"...hmmm good job on our BFIAR Before Five in a Row readings *thumbs up!*

Okay so I guess some of you came here for the recipe. I won't say it's the best but it was really delicious!! :) I was originally looking at around 3 different recipes online but when it came to it, we just improvised as we went along hehe :)

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cans of (6 oz) Tuna in Brine - we like to use Century Tuna
• 1 jar (470 ml) Lady's Choice Mayonnaise
• 2 celery stalks chopped finely (or more depending on your preference)
• 1/2 onion chopped finely (or more depending on your preference)
• 2 hard boiled eggs chopped finely
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Loaf of bread
• Cheese slices - we used Quez-o, but you can use the Quickmelt variant
• Butter
• Optional: tomato slices, cucumber or lettuce

PROCEDURE

To make the sandwich spread

• Drain the tuna, set aside
• Add the mayonaise, chopped celery, chopped onion, eggs. Mix thoroughly
• Season with salt & pepper to taste
• Put in a jar / canister and refrigerate before use

To assemble the sandwich

• Spread a thin layer of butter on slices of bread and toast for 5-7 minutes
• Heat a skillet on low fire, scoop tuna spread ala patty and top with cheese. Let it "toast or cook" for a few minutes or until the cheese melts
• Get the bread slices from the oven and top with the "tuna spread patty" and finish with the other slice of bread
• P.S. You can add tomato slices, cucumber or even lettuce as desired

There you have it! I hope you enjoy your Tuna Melt Sandwich! Tasty, delish and really easy to make! :)

Learning about colors

Today we unboxed the Primary Science Kit we ordered from Timberdoodle.

Primary Science Lab Set

Ever since our Preschool Complete kit arrived, my dear daughter has been asking to open the lab set which she so lovingly refers to as "Timberdoodle". I guess she finds it to be the most interesting among all the other fun stuff we'll be doing this year..uh, hopefully we can stretch this kit to next year too! :)

I have to agree with my daughter. If I were a kid, I'd love to have one of this too! It comes with a beaker, flask, funnel, goggles, magnifying glass, tweezer, dropper, test tubes and a few experiments you can safely do at home. All are plastic parts so definitely safe to use for kids. These are also appropriately sized for little fingers to hold on to. We also purchased the color my bath tablets and twisty dropper from Timberdoodle too as part of the Preschool  package.

Since it was our first time to use it, we decided on just doing the first and easiest experiment which aims to teach about primary and secondary colors. I helped her by setting up our table and all the things we'd need. 

She was too happy to learn what the different containers are called and was really excited as she dropped the color tablets as they mixed and fizzed in the water. 

She already knew the primary colors so it was easy for her to identify. She also recognized that the color changed to violet as we mixed the red and blue. The problem was when we mixed the red and yellow and there was too many red (my fault!) dropped into the yellow..it turned into, uh, red! Hehehe..we then corrected it by adding more yellow into the mix and then it turned orange..thank God! :)

It was a good experience for us, learning not just about colors but also about mistakes and how we can remedy them. If this is any indication of things to come, then I'm all the more excited as we begin our homeschooling journey. 

She really loved this kit or making a mess or both. I'm happy that she's happy and learning. She didn't want us to pack away the kit just yet so she played some more and tried to discover what other colors would be created from her experiment.

Oh, I also had her try the pre-writing activity I purchased from Confessions of a Homeschooler. Why, I had them laminated yesterday and we just tried our Expo Dry erase markers to go with it. It works! I just have to get a picture next time because she was already tired when I asked her to do it again for picture's sake :)

Today's preschool homeschool? All good! :)

Video: Tagaytay Children's Choir performing "Dear Future Husband"

Early this year we came back a second time to Bag of Beans, the bigger branch this time, to have our tummies filled before heading back home to Manila. We were nearly done with our "merien-dinner" when a group of orange-clad kids, tweens and teens came garbed with their instrument of choice and suddenly performed Meghan Trainor's 'Dear Future Husband'. 

It was L-O-V-E!! I mean, can you see just how adorable they are? Everything (at least to my music-loving ears) is on point and the two kids having fun dancing were just giving it their all. Makes me reminisce back to the time we had our wedding in Caleruega. If only I've "discovered" them back then! Hahahaha..

Enjoy their performance! I hope you like this video and subscribe to our Youtube channel! :)

Video: Farewell, La Cocina de Tita Moning

Oh it is really unfortunate that they've closed shop...and I wasn't able to return for one last time..

I was put on bedrest for a month (more on that in another post) and this is just one of the many things I have missed out on. Anyway, I hope you get to enjoy La Cocina through my shaky video hehe. I'll truly truly miss this place.

Tears.......

 

Recipe: Home-cooked Hotpot Shabu-Shabu

Ever since A's friend introduced the Hotpot Shabu-Shabu dish to us, I've clearly been hooked! And that's a good thing, right? Right! :)

We first tried this in Golden Fortune Seafood restaurant somewhere in Soler Street, Binondo, Manila. They had *I think* unlimited soup and you just have to tick off the kind of meat, veggies and balls you want. They even have mushrooms and other dumplings you might want to mix in. The clear winner of course, which we've had almost 5 servings of is the CHEESE BALL. You'd think this is just light fare but complemented with rice and the satay sauce, no doubt you'll be full immediately :)

The novelty and the flavors really impressed me but the cost..oh my, a tad expensive when you have this in restos. And that is why, I'm so happy that we can still have this at home...a Hotpot Shabu-Shabu DIY-style!

There are actually just a few ingredients you'll need. Aside from the basic soup base and the sauce/condiment, how many (or actually how expensive) this'll be will depend a lot on you and on how many different kinds of balls you'd include.

Most of these you can get from your neighborhood grocery stores. Do check out SM's frozen section for the balls. If you live near Chinatown, you can brave Ongpin and go to Shopper's Mart (Yes, I've been there) or Wei-Wei Mart (Haven't been to, but highly recommended by our friend) near Arranque market 

INGREDIENTS

Hotpot Soup Base

Water

Balls

Leafy Vegetables like water cress, cabbage, even malunggay for nursing moms!

CONDIMENTS

BBQ Sauce

Premium Light Soy Sauce

Chili

Chives

Minced Garlic

OPTIONAL

Egg or Vegetable Noodle

Corn

Sukiyaki cut beef

Bacon for grilling

Enjoy! :D