Friday, September 30, 2016

Our experience at the 37th Manila International Book Fair

Thanks to Homeschoolers of the Phililpines, a homeschooling Facebook group I belong to, I found out that the 37th Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) was scheduled this September at SMX and got free passes too! :)

I love books (and now even children's books) so I practically "begged" Daddy A to clear up our very tight schedule just so we can go and bring along Z. I knew that as a little bookworm, it'd be such a treat for her to experience her first book fair :)

So we went a little bit early and took a stroll along SM Mall of Asia's bay walk. 

Exercising by the bay
We had a quick bite at Starbucks too while waiting for the book fair to open its doors at 10 AM.

When we arrived at quarter to 10, we were a bit surprised with the already zigzagging line of people going inside SMX. Had we known about this queue, we would have wrapped up our breakfast much sooner. 

Grabbed a quick bite

We only had a couple of hours to spare to "get lost inside" so it was really a good thing that I chanced upon the recommendations of Ms. Donna Simpao Pangilinan in her HomesCool blog. I just went through her list and visited the booths that would best suit the season we are in. We were a group of 6 and we went in 4 different directions 😜 Myself looking at preschool/kindy products, hubby over at the Architecture books, FIL I guess looked at Agri books and my MIL went to the Grolier booth with the kids :)

Hubby's books - Diksiyonaryong Biswal ng Arkitekturang Filipino & Three Centuries of Binondo Architecture


First stop for me was Pauline's..

At this point I was still mindful of the budget. Well, more like keeping in mind that most booths I visited only accepted cash payment. 

I was able to score 5 books at a discount of course and the booth-keepers were really nice. I even overheard one sister comment something along the line of "hindi sayang ang pag-join nila sa fair". Whether it was due to monetary gains for their products or the fact that they are able to evangelize thru joining the fair or both..I was actually touched (and really happy that the Lord provided for them) when I heard her utter those words.

At Pauline's, I'm a Paulinian after all :)

Second I went to Bookmark and purchased 4 packs of "Original Artwork created by a boy with autism" each pack has 8 Notecards and 8 Envelopes. I was reserving these for Christmas or even just a "how are you" letter to friends. I ended up using 2 right away for reasons I will share in my next post.

Original artwork by a very talented child


Third stop for me was the Sing, Spell, Read and Write set of books although they ran out of packages already. I hope I can see them once more during the Homeschooling Conference this October! :)

Fourth stop, now with hubby in tow was the Jolly Phonics booth. First time I've heard about them from Ms. Donna's blog but when they explained each book and package to us, we decided this is a must-try for our toddler. Although it is really on the expensive side (even with a discount hehe), to us it is worth it for our homeschooling plans. 2 weeks from having the book with songs CD, Z already knows most of them and more importantly, is able to recognize the sounds each letter / phoneme makes. We're not rushing her to read at this point but we also want to expose her to different modes and mediums for learning. And I say we need to give our Leapfrog DVD's a rest too! :)



Some packages are PHP 30-70+k, these are for schools, I believe.

We got The Phonics Handbook & Jolly Songs with CD from them, luckily we were given a discount. Otherwise these 2 books alone would've cost us about PHP 5,000.00 already (what?!?) Hehehe. Daddy A gave me "the look" as if to say, you better make this worth if for the children 😂 The nice thing about this handbook is that I can make copies (legally allowed) for our home so that means I can really use this for more than 1 child :)

The snake is in the grass, the snake is in the grass...


The fifth and final stop - actually my MIL's stop - was the Grolier booth. I thought they were just looking at the products until I realized they actually bought a whole cart-full of children's educational books like the following series - Talking English (with talking pen), How Do You Know (with talking pen) & Fun-Thinkers with Match Frame. Wow!!! It was an advanced and truly merry Christmas gift for the kids because we had to make sure the pens were working :) Thank you so much Amah M & Angkong D!

Now I know what (and how much! hahaha) I have to prepare for next year's book fair! :) Just kidding Daddy A....but not really! :p

Knocked out baby in the Lille

Grolier books and talking pens from Amah M & Angkong D..thank you!!! :D

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Our 4th Wedding Anniversary

Latepost :)

===================

It's our 4th Wedding Anniversary!!!! :D

Funny how I still seem to remember things that happened on that day, how I felt, how others probably felt and many others in between. And yet here I am trying to remember everything that happened in the past four years...some are remarkable, some regrettable, and some just feel like a big blur!

What do we have to show for the past 4 years? That's something that I always think about. Material wealth, well not so much for now. That's something we have to steadily work for. But I'm forever grateful for being blessed with my family - hubby, dear Z and a little one on the way! Yes, we have a new bub coming soon! :D 

Honestly, this is probably the season in my life I'm least prepared for. I mean being a wife, being a mother and being at home most of the time. I've always thought I'd be slaving away in the corporate world even with kids but what do I know...priorities change. Here I am, a full-time homeschooling stay at home mom (SAHM). There are of course things I miss but I know that right now we're making the best choice for our family :) 



Photo by Reality Box

Remember how I told you last year that we'd make sure to always celebrate our anniversary and of course, get our yearly dose of Alex Franco's yummy cake? Well this year, this clearly did not happen. Instead of a nice night out, we headed to the hospital to get the little one checked. Instead of steak for dinner, well we still had dinner of course but I had to relegate the cooking (supposedly my gift or treat for A) to our helper. Instead of a nice cake, well, the chicken macaroni salad is still in the fridge hehe.

In the past (boyfriend-girlfriend stage), anniversaries are more or less grand gestures with flowers, dinners and gifts. I definitely would've been frustrated if we did not have anything special planned out. But again, life I mean married life with kids changes one's perspective drastically. Today it's okay we don't go out for dinner. Today it's okay to book a Grab taxi going to the hospital and "book" a tricycle going home. Welcome to real married life! :)

P.S. Okay, not being totally KJ here...little Z and I (despite our stuffed noses) were trying our best to surprise Daddy A with our recorded song. I guess I underestimated the time needed to record and edit haha...will probably release that when we have the time. Next year, perhaps? Haha :)

Happy Anniversary to us, Daddy A! I love you forever! :)




================

P.P.S.

We did have a nice meal in a resto after all! :) Here we are in Mary Grace Cafe at Lucky Chinatown Mall, still under the weather but enjoying the good food nonetheless :)

What worries me everytime we eat out is whether Z will like to food. Good she enjoyed the mushroom soup and pasta arrabiata *thumbs up!*
Ordered Perfect Plate #3 with Apple Cinnamon Honey Iced Tea. Loved the chorizo pasta here :)

Pasta Arrabiata. I would've gone crazy with chili peppers here if only I wasn't sharing with Z hehe..

With our Lillebaby Carryon (toddler-size) Airflow. Basically this is how we roll. Strollers are just a back-up for us but we find this more convenient :)


Monday, September 19, 2016

Homeschool: Learning even if teacher mommy is sick

Still learning even if mommy is sick 🤒. I actually worried that since her favorite is our read-aloud time, and I physically can't do too many read-alouds today, our homeschool today would be blah or "cancelled". I even thought of just leading her to do arts like coloring, doing dot art or even just cutting paper. 

Yet here she was, very excited to pounce on her Jumbo Bananagrams and make up words..the very long ones like only toddlers can :) 


Today I'm really amazed at hearing her sound out all letters from this very long "word" she is still forming. On a side note, I tried sounding out CVC words with her a few weeks back a la Talking Words Factory. She wasn't so receptive with the activity so I planned to just delay it for next year since she's barely 3 anyway..so seeing her do this or at least attempting to sound out words is really such a treat for me! 

Overheard her saying this:
"Pag B, "buh"..Pag T, "tah"..essentially sounding out the letters as well as identifying them. 

When she manages to pick same letters from her Bananagrams, she matches them or if not she finds out the match from the alphabet chart..talk about self-directed learning. All credit to her for this activity since I'm merely an observer today..not even a facilitator aack! Although how I wish I was :)

This makes me so much excited to start out the Jolly Phonics we got from the Manila International Book Fair! :)

PS. She also requested we read another Ballet book (PHP 99 @ NBS), she's just so fascinated with the different forms 👯


Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Kanto Freestyle Breakfast at Midnight

Just got home from dinner with A's college friends. I'm supposed to feel full with all the yummy Apartment 1B dishes..but there's something about eating and at the same time feeding and entertaining a toddler that has left me all sorts of famished. 😬

Luckily we were able to drop by Kanto Freestyle in Boni, Mandaluyong for a quick take-out trip 👍🏻👍🏻

New Zealand Beef Tapsilog

Goya Chocnut Ganache Pancake

Since it's already midnight, I "just" (hahaha) ate half of each 😋 Now I feel everything's' right in the world..or at least in my tummy!

Sweetest dreams! :)

Sunday, September 11, 2016

Happy Grandparents' Day

"What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And most importantly, cookies." -Rudy Giuliani 


To all our dear grandparents, thank you so much for everything and we love you very much! :)

banner

Things I blog about..

#CaptureTheRealYou #OPPOF5 100 day wedding 168 18th month 1st birthday 2nd birthday 3rd month 50th birthday 6 months 7th month 8 millennium development goals 8th month a day in the life absolute accessories accessory activity books afritada aggy's Agico alex franco cake algo all of me almost gourmet alphabet altrenergy Alveo amazon amazon kindle anniversary anthem Anthony bourdain apatite appliques araneta architect aromatherapy art deco asking a godparent AVIDA ayala baby baby back ribs baby food baby gatsby baby gatsby party baby girl baby k'tan baby meal baby ootd baby routine baby shower baby shower games baby wearing BabyComfyNose babywearing babywearing week 2014 back to work bad bird bag bag of beans baked dory baking ballerina ballet ballet kids Bananagrams Banco De Oro band Banking On Your Future baon baptism baptism candles baptism dinner baptism reception baptism seminar barbecue barbeque bargain finds barong batangas bayleaf hotel bazi BDO beach bed sharing beef beef kabsa before five in a row belgian chocolate cake BF1st1000days BFIAR BGC big bad wolf bike billingham digital hadley binder binondo binondo tour binyag birthday birthday mtv birthday party birthing class BKS black and white blender body boss Boni boo book book club book fair book review books boppy pillow botejyu boutonniere Boy Kastner Santos boyce avenue BOYF bracelet brazil brazil breakfast breast cancer breastfeeding breastfeeding in church breastfeeding pinays bridal shower bringing baby to church broker brownie BSP budget buffet buhawi bukas palad song burgos circle buwan ng wika buzzfeed tasty cake caldecott caleruega call me tita cambridge satchel camcorder camera camera for baby camera for new moms can't breastfeed cannondale canon canon d10 canon d20 canon d30 canon sx50 canva career caren resurreccion carlos celdran cash benefit casserole cast iron cast iron skillet caterer catholic Celadon century city mall century mall cesarean section cfa champorado changi airport chapel on the hill charaptor charcoal berry charlie puth charms chayno cheese steak shop chef laudico chicken chicken rice chiffon childbirth children's book chinatown chinese books chinese fables chinese food chinese new year chinese nursery rhymes chinito Chinkee tan chinky christening christmas christmas party christmas spirit chunky chewelry church cisco clara ole cleaning co sleeping Colgate colors conch shell congee Conti's cookbook cooking cooking time cooking tips cordfree cordless corduroy corporate girl costume crib crystal healing crystals CS csb hotel cubao cupcake cwc cyclone dance date dawani de-cluttering dear future husband denise laurel design destination wedding devotional diagnosis benefit dice game dictionary diffuser dining dinner disinfection distributor divisoria divisoria mall DIY diy candles dlsu Dr. Seuss dry erase dslr dust proof dutch oven Dyson dyson cyclone v10 absolute Dyson v10 dzi beads e-books early bird breakfast club early pregnancy earrings easter eat all you can eating out ebook ecopark educator elena ferrante eleventh month Elin engagement engagement dinner escolta essential oil essential oils essential rewards essentially prudent estrel's estrels etc handmade etc handmade goodness Eucharist everio exercise exercise while breastfeeding expo markers extravagances fabric family fashion fat tuesday father's day feature feng shui feng shui sunrise fernwood gardens fifth month filipiniana filipino food finance financial advisor financial planning financial wellness fine jewelry first birthday first birthday party first day first month fitness flashback fridays flu buster fo GUANG shan fontana food food tasting food trip foodie forbeswood formula 1 fortress fourth month free to grow freeze proof friends friendship fruits fuji fuji x100s fuji x20 fujifilm fully booked gatsby gatsby first birthday gatsby theme gemstone gifts girl bonding glorietta 4 God good night good reads Goya Chocnut ganache pancake grandparents day greens grilling grolier guevarra's gumbo gymboree gymboree philippines habagat Hai Shin Lou halloween Hampton Inn & Suites hanamaruken ramen handheld happy folks Happy Folks Studio haunted history tours hd videocam headpiece health healthy heart rate monitor hearts of jesus & mary heirloom hello kitty hiit hole in the wall hollyland lark m1 homecooking homeopathic homeschool homeschool life homeschooling honey glaze cakes hong kong hospital bag hospital kit hotel hotel intercon hotpot how not to die how to hurom hurricane hwayugi i will take you forever ikea induction cooker infanta instant pot instruments insurance insuravest intramuros investment ipo ipo jac jacatel Jamie Oliver japanese jesse bear Jesus Jesus blesses the children Jo-Anne Wong joe cross john legend johnny air cargo johnson chua jolly phonics jolly songs joy JSC juice diet jujube jumbo jumbo Bananagrams Junior Savers jvc jvc camcorder jvc everio kamagong Kanto freestyle KAP kaya toast kiam peng Kiddie Account Program kiddie party kids kidzoona kidztown ph killiney kindle korean kris lawrence kyowa la cocina de tita moning la mesa dam la sallian lab set labor kit lace lactation brownie lactation room laguna lamco landers otis lcm le bayou legarda house let's eat pare letter of the week library life insurance lifestyle treats lillebaby lillebaby carryon airflow lilleletsme little note lodge lolong lotw luck chinatown mall lucky chinatown mall lugaw lzm restaurant madison events madre de dios chapel magallanes church makati malacanang mall of asia Mama Mary mamaway bamboo charcoal belly band mambo no 5 mandaluyong Mandarin Chinese Mango Bravo manila manila doctors manila hotel manila international book fair manila ocean park manipulatives mardi gras Marina Bay Sands marriage mary grace cafe mass maternity bag mayon volcano medela medela freestyle medela house medela moms mega prime meghan trainor men's wear messenger bag metromix mexico ferry mibf michael greger microinsurance midnight snack milestone cards milk mama milk mama diaries carnival mirrorless camera miss universe MoA mobler moira mom and tina's mommymeowmeow cooks mommymeowmeow finds momzilla fair money kit monkey king mosso mother nurture motherhood mozzarella-stuffed meatballs mushroom music video my loves my loves babywearing My Sunday narra hill Nasal Aspirator nasugbu national museum of natural history neapolitan novels nesting new orleans New Zealand tapa nicholas sparks nikon nikon l820 ninang ninong ninth month niu noir et blanc non-traditional party nosefrida novotel nursing station Nursing Wear nutrition nuvali oakley oily mama oilymama omelette ongpin Online Shopping ootd orb diffuser outback steakhouse outing paht chee pandemic paperwhite parenting parenting emporium paris partner appreiation night party party doll manila party planning party suppliers party tray party video passion cooks personal finance philippine homeschool conference philippines phonics photography picture books Pigeon Pigeon Baby Cotton Swab pilillia pinkerton pinoy food planning a first birthday plant based playground pluviophile po gelai podcast polar polar hrm polarized polka dots pop post partum post pregnancy clothes post pregnancy exercise post-partum postpartum powerplant powerplant mall prayers pre-nup precious medina precious stone preggy diaries pregnancy pregnancy symptoms preparations prepared childbirth class preschool preschool homeschool press con pressure cooking pretend play preview prewriting Primary science kit prime pinasarap moments procrastination product review productivity professor property review proposal protection pru life uk Pru Life with Madz Lim pua tiong chiu public service advisory pulse app pumping at work pumping station quadproof quezon quezon city rack's magallanes racks magallanes racks packages rain ramen ready for the world real real star beach resort reality box recipe reflections resort restaurant retail lab review rice rice cooker ring rizal roadtrip rockwell rome kanapi rosary run sabrina carpenter sale sampaloc san juan restaurant san miguel san pablo sandbox party sandstone sandwich saturdate savings saya carrier second birthday sennheiser mke400 sentosa sentosa resort & spa serendra serge igonia sewing machine shabby chic shabu shabu shangrila hotel share the adventure shimano shock proof shoe cabinet shopper's mart shopping shutter count works shuttercount shutterfly sick sick baby signity stone silla sincerity singapore singapore grand prix singer site visit sixth month sleep through the night slow cooker meals sm aura small party smeg smoothie smoothie lover snacks snow globe snowflakes obsidian snug a hug pillow soakswimwear soft structured carrier softshells Solenad solenn sonlight sophia the first sophie's mom spicy spiralizer ssc st. alphonsus st. alphonsus mary de liguori sta. rosa Stacy's stand out stc steam mop sterilize stick stickers storm strawberry shortcake street photography stroganoff stroller struggles sugar and sunbeams sugarplum suite blanco summer lookbook sunday reflections super mama surco surgical benefit swagger sweet home bakeshop sweet services swimming taal vista tabora taft tagaytay tagaytay children's choir tagaytay highlands talking english tamang kain tapsilog tbt teaching teething teething baby tenth month thankless the boutique bed and breakfast the creamery the happyness project the longest ride the north face the phonics handbook themed party thirty throwback Timberdoodle Timbuk2 time tips on choosing wedding photos tips on making wedding album toddler toddler life tokidoki tomas morato tornado tour toys tracing traditional weaning trails trajecito de bebe transportation travel treveia trones trumpette tula tula baby carrier tula manila tula philippines tula toddler carrier tuna melt tuttle tutu toddler twelfth month twin hearts twisty dropper ulam unboxing universal studios university life uno restaurant Usborne V10 vacation vacuum Valentine's valentines vans vatel manila VBAC vegetables verleo catering video video coverage videocam vikings vintage restoration vitamix vivo city vizco's vlog vlog kit vlogging wahm wai ying wakepark wallpaper wangfu watami waterproof wayback wednesday weaning weather wedding wedding anniversary wedding photo wedding photography wedding supplier wedgits wei wei Weleda wellness wfpb whole food plant based wii wilbros will you be windmills wipe erase wooden toys work work at home mom workout world breastfeeding week world teacher's day wrong ramen wyb x20 yaya seminar manila yaya training yellow cab yeng constantino yleo ymca binondo young living youtube zojirushi zucchini zumba