La Vie En Rose

MOVING ON...

2011-09-14T02:07:00.002-04:00

the only constant thing especially in my life is change, with that said, this blog has moved to a new home... please continue to follow me and the brand new chapter in my life on

cristinabondocinteriors.com/blog/

ahhh yes, i have a new website too... some exciting things have been happening of late. please check out my new website and hopefully we can work together soon...

xoxo

Man Cave, clock, lights, dress

2011-05-05T11:57:00.005-04:00

these caught my attention in the May 1, 2011 issue of The New York Times Style Magazine...

an over the top man cave in spain... click here for the full article

magnificent views of the mediterranean sea

cool man cave accessories made by the owner

i just love these sleeping caves for their three kids, with a plethora of my all time fave ugly dolls

best venue for family movie night

loving these lanterns by marco dessi for lobmeyr

artwork by stefan strumbel

adore her dress... i wish i looked this fabulous too when i was 25 :)

A day in the life of...

2011-04-24T19:05:00.004-04:00

in case you guys are wondering how "client move in day" looks like... below are random shots from work last week when we were helping our client, well... move in to her new apartment -- this day, she was moving in all her own stuff from her previous home...

i don't mind this backyard at all

entrance to the apt covered with rags to protect the new hardwood floors

plastic booties are always in fashion at the jobsite lol

the client really wanted these topiaries at the entrance of her master suite, so she feels like she's in Beverly Hills

hardworking movers forget to eat lunch

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

2011-04-24T18:54:00.001-04:00

max and his cousins with their easter eggs

Donut Party!

2011-04-22T21:01:00.004-04:00

best friends for life

Today's design inspiration is brought to you by...

2011-04-20T21:49:00.005-04:00

One Shot, a cafe in Philadelphia... i love this look -- well designed but looks like it wasn't designed, very homey feeling, such a relaxed chill vibe... there's something so comforting about the interiors... what's even amazing is that the budget was pretty tight at $90 per square foot, what a huge challenge to the designers at SL Design... hats off to them collecting most of the furniture for half of the year, mixing custom pieces with $5 flea market finds. bravo!

interior photos taken from hospitality design

Things I liked at the Showrooms Today...

2011-04-19T23:11:00.002-04:00

lighting fixtures at Zoffany

one day you will be mine... i always go back and give a longing look at this duck feet table lamp

first time i've seen this version of it -- mmMMmmMMmm

wallpaper that looks like wood from the Summerhill Showroom

plexi glass pendant fixture at Nancy Corzine -- when traditional meets contemporary

good use of capiz -- armoire from Julia Gray

looooove these from Jerry Pair

You know you're a mom when...

2011-04-18T09:13:00.008-04:00

...you have all sorts of tiny toys hidden in your pockets... in my case today, spiderman decided to crawl out of my hoodie while having my morning coffee...

Uh-oh!!!

2011-04-16T15:58:00.001-04:00

...somebody knows to ask to buy toys already...

mini shatsu

2011-04-15T19:36:00.004-04:00

such good finds at Century 21 today... these uber cute graphic shirts for little ones by mini shatsu... it was sooo hard to narrow down my choices because they were all adorable!!

front

back

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front (this one is for girls)

back (this one is for girls)

Photo Archive

2011-04-14T14:24:00.004-04:00

While browsing through old client photos here at work, I saw this ridiculous picture of me taken by my co-worker last fall... there are so many things wrong with this pic -- cheap and tacky flower pots, not the prettiest green wall color, my big round brown face with a silly wink (why was I so tanned here?), among others -- it blows my mind why I'm even posting this... but the picture made me laugh... and oh, i love that yellow toile fabric that we didn't end up using for this client...

Spring has finally sprung in NYC!

2011-04-14T09:47:00.002-04:00

the sun is up, the birds are chirping, the doves are cooing... oh what a lovely day... skipping and hopping to work...

frogs and snails, anyone?

2011-04-12T22:45:00.002-04:00

i saw these while flipping through Veranda magazine today. i am all for whimsy and playful, but i am not sure about these... frog and snails by robert kuo... i forgot who the interior designer was...

eye candy

2011-04-12T22:39:00.003-04:00

my teeth hurts just looking at this, but it is very very purty! it's a nice tablescape idea for a baby shower or tea party, no? [click on image to enlarge... photo taken by an iPhone from House Beautiful magazine]

i want these: hive honey set + toothbrushes

2011-04-12T22:31:00.003-04:00

love it! gotta have it! how come i didn't think of designing this?!?! :)

i think this is just perfect especially when momnesia strikes!

[photos taken by an iPhone from House Beautiful magazine]

amazing sky today

2011-04-12T22:25:00.005-04:00

after the afternoon rain, the skies turned amazingly beautiful

saturday playdate

2011-04-10T10:22:00.003-04:00

i think every saturday should be a playdate because i think it's really double the fun -- kids have tons of fun playing with each other and moms and dads get to catch up on all sorts of things from starting solids, to potty training, to switching toddler beds, to relocations, to career moves... hooray for playdates!

brunch is served, thanks to my dearest kusinero

baby e, the youngest of the bunch

laid back fridays

2011-04-08T19:27:00.002-04:00

i love having fridays off -- a day all to myself -- where i wear my housekeeping hat hehehe... today was spent cleaning the house, especially because we're hosting a playdate tomorrow morning with some of my best mommy friends... can't wait!

the console table is "playdate-ready"...

...with 3 types of cereal, annie's cheddar and whole wheat bunny crackers, bunny marshmallows, applesauce and fruit juice...

even sir topham hatt, harold and thomas were newly dusted, all set and ready for the morning chaos! :)

what kept me busy during pregnancy...

2011-04-08T07:50:00.007-04:00

lately, i've been thinking if i am ready to go back to working full time -- big firm? boutique studio? small shop? own company? -- but that in itself is a whole new different post... however, because of that, i've started the process of updating my design portfolio and i wanted to share the big casino project i worked on [when I was still at FG] during my entire pregnancy 3 years ago... this is my first casino project that actually got built, in a time where projects are being put on hold left and right were the norm because of the recession, this one managed to keep going and finally opened in Winter 2009... below are pictures of some of the areas in the casino, but nothing is better than seeing it in person. so if any of you happen to be at Bensalem, PA -- be sure to check out Parx. [disclaimer: photos below were taken by my ex co-workers before the grand opening]

also, bear in mind, this is a privately-owned casino in PA and not Vegas. big difference there. this might not have the scale of Vegas but we think we definitely gave PA a little taste of Viva Las Vegas.

the casino exterior with these gargantuan screens and the programmable LED lights display

the lobby/card desk, in the midst of final installation -- my baby in this project, probably also the reason for my pre-term labor, LOL....

it's fun working on projects of this grand scale and over the top design. it's really a playground for designers because everything is custom made and larger than life.

the center bar, testing all the lights and sounds

a portion of the gaming area, plastic protection still on the custom designed carpets

the food court

Spring where art thou?

2011-04-06T23:17:00.005-04:00

it hasn't been the best spring weather, it's still a bit chilly and cold outside... and so to cheer me up, i dress like it's spring and then quickly cover up with my heavy wool winter jacket... BOO!

s/s gray tunic top with white and yellow sequence by romeo & juliet couture, black skinny ponte leggings by mossimo and deep purple pumps by calvin klein

ikat print dress from target, cynthia rowley tights, short black slouchy boots by madden girl

it's been raining though, a sure sign that it's spring, and my lil boy is having a blast with his paul frank toddler umbrella

Dinder House

2011-04-06T22:33:00.003-04:00

Dinder House... a Georgian Manor House in England... 23 acres... a cool couple and their 4 sons... fabulous interiors by Ilse Crawford... i want to have this kind of interiors someday, i'm blown away... click images to enlarge... or click here for full article...

Giant Yellow Teddy Bear

2011-04-05T21:16:00.002-04:00

as i was walking down Park Avenue by Grand Central yesterday, this giant yellow teddy bear stopped me in my tracks! i was sooooo tempted to come up close and touch it but there were too many workmen around it as they finish up the installation of this Urs Fischer masterpiece. the teddy bear is said to be 23 feet high and is projected to sell for more than $9 million when it gets auctioned off at Christie's in May. yowza!

giant yellow teddy bear being installed at the Seagram Building

Great Wolf Lodge... awoooooo!!!

2011-04-02T18:11:00.005-04:00

my folks and i recently went on a road trip

to a place not for the dyslexic

this was our room, and can you tell how excited i am to see this magnificent place my parents have been talking about?

it was an enormous indoor water park with all sorts of pools, slides and everything water!

it was a nice 85 degrees in there, a perfect escape for this chilly spring we are having

i was afraid of this owl

but loved playing ball

i was even practicing walking back and forth in the kiddie pool

and had a grand time at the water slide

just relaxing while waiting for daddy to finish riding the giant slides

before bedtime, i got to meet wiley, and there was even story time with all of us kids in our pj's!

a trip is not the same without shopping ofcourse!

what a fun filled day! i even got my own big giant bed to rest my weary soul

kapoot!

we had such a grand time, i wish we can go back sooooooon!!

white orchids...

2011-04-02T17:28:00.001-04:00

...make me happy...

thanks to my boss for these beautiful blooms

Budding Artist

2011-04-02T14:15:00.002-04:00

like every other mom i know, i get all the weekly deals email from TRU and most of the time just ignore them -- "more toys means more stuff to clean" is the mantra i try to repeat in my head to ward off the evil shopping spirits... but from time to time, there are good deals that come with the best timing -- yeah yeah yeah, i caved and was lured with the 25% off deals for all Step2 Toddler Furniture. I was meaning to buy Max the el cheapo easel from Ikea anyway, but decided to go with the Step2 Flip N' Doodle Easel Desk with Stool with a sweet special price only good for 2 days [today is the last day for this bonus deal]... and my dear max couldn't be any happier with his new art desk... and mommy is twice as happy with this new babysitter :)

Cowboy Max

2011-03-30T23:47:00.000-04:00

going loco at ben and jerry's

Max Dancing to Thomas

2011-03-27T21:00:00.001-04:00

max loves watching Thomas the Train videos on youtube... and he dances too if there's music with the vids... PARDON the MESSY desk, the cleaning lady [which is me as well hahaha] didn't come yet LOL...

Moving Day...

2011-03-27T20:18:00.005-04:00

the reyeseseseseses moved to their new home this weekend and the three monkeys, having no toys in the old apt still managed to entertain themselves....

i've seen them use this chest of drawers [well, the skeleton of it] as a hotel front desk, ice cream shop counter, hotel room [yes, complete with pretend sleeping, kissing and hugging -- they even asked for room service!!?!?! true story, i swear] and as the photos above show, also as a photo booth... who needs expensive toys when you have wild imagination

Snow in Spring...

2011-03-27T01:05:00.001-04:00

mother nature is confused

Weekend Mornings...

2011-03-20T11:17:00.004-04:00

Friday's 70's temp was such a tease... i had hoped it would be the same for the weekend, but no such luck. my wish to have park time in the mornings didn't materialize but we had tons of fun anyway with our morning walks to the little boy's favorite hangout -- you guessed it, Starbucks.

saturday morning stroll

grinning from ear to ear knowing that he's having madeleine's for breakfast

probably the happiest customer they have that morning... he even greeted the person who wiped down our table "goo monin"

wondering what daddy's having for breakfast

he keeps saying "cheers"...

...then chugs his milk down

sunday morning stroll... much colder today, how ironic that it's the first day of spring

on his way home with more starbucks loot for later

hope you all had an equally relaxing and restful weekend

Soccer Max @ 26 months old

2011-03-19T23:13:00.000-04:00

Gorgeous Friday

2011-03-19T22:51:00.004-04:00

spring is just around the corner and what a wonderful tease mother nature gave us on friday with temps in the 70's!!!!! it was soooo insanely beautiful that day that i decided to pick max early from daycare and bring him to the park in weehawken. he had a blast kicking his soccer ball and much to my surprise, he actually was damn good at it! it was his first time doing it out in the open field and i was really impressed! [i will post a video i took of him right after this post] i can't wait to sign him up for soccer camp next year.

after hanging out at the park, we headed to the light rail station 2 mins away for some trainspotting and lola [grandma] actually took him for a short ride in the train. the little man was a happy camper and if he could say it, he probably would have been screaming TGIF at the top of his lungs!

gorgeous blue skies and the manhattan skyline

my little pele or messi? look at that form!

happy to see bella, his classmate in school, who also happened to be at the park

time to go and off to see grandma at the light rail station

waiting for the train with lola on this lovely day

Island Michael Kors Palm Beach

2011-03-18T14:11:00.002-04:00

i'm not really a perfume person. i'm very sensitive to smell and perfumes often are too strong for me, most especially when i got pregnant -- strong perfumes really irritated me. i love baby cologne and anything light smelling and citrusy. i used to wear Burberry Touch for Babies, but i need something more "adult smelling" especially at work. the one perfume that i actually love and use is Chanel Cristalle but i'm always looking for another one for those days when i crave variety. i might just have found it!...

island michael kors palm beach

i found this as an insert in the Ulta mailers and so far i am liking it. it is a mixture of orange, jasmine and hints of black tea. sounds like my scent profile. hopefully it passes the final test which is spraying it on myself and end up smelling just as good as the mailer insert. you know how perfume scent changes once it combines with your natural oils.

what's for lunch?... meatless fridays

2011-03-18T14:03:00.003-04:00

Trader Joe's Wild Mushroom and Black Truffle Flatbread Pizza with Mozzarella Cheese and Mexican Mangoes

Starbucks is the new Police...

2011-03-18T11:04:00.004-04:00

lately, max has been staying true to a "terrible two" by giving me a hard time in the mornings. normally, leaving the door on time has never been an issue, but of late, the little brat just wants to linger a little bit longer either playing with his trains or watching cartoons. adamantly refuses to wear his jacket and put on his socks and shoes [he actually puts them away and says "mommy, clean up"]. what's a mommy who has to rush to work to do?!?! enter the POLICE... i start making siren sounds and scare my son that the police is coming to get him if he doesn't get dressed for school [bad mommy points for me]... so far, it's been working out great, up until the last two weeks where he actually saw real policemen and they, of course were friendly to him, so i think the fear factor is slowly disappearing and the police scare tactic is no longer effective... but alas, a new "bribe" just emerged -- STARBUCKS! he now gets excited to leave the house in the morning, even reminds me to put on his jacket because it's cold outside and wears his socks and shoes with no complaints. His favorites are the Madeleine Petite French Cakes, the Carrot Cupcake and their Cake Lollipops!

THANK YOU STARBUCKS!!... though my wallet is not so happy...

these smiles are soooo precious... see the video of our trip to starbucks this morning here

Starbucks addiction begins...

2011-03-18T10:54:00.000-04:00

Go International Designer Collective @ Target

2011-03-17T17:10:00.006-04:00

i'm sure all of you know about the Go International Designer Collective at Target that's been going on for 5 years now... if you don't then you ought to be ashamed of yourself -- i keeed, i keeed!! hehehe just kidding... so for a limited time, beginning March 13, they are bringing back the best of their designers lines for customers to "snag the one that got away"... featured designers include the likes of Behnaz Sarafpour, Libertine, Luella Bartley, Proenza Schouler, Rodarte, Thakoon and Zac Posen to name a few.

and so today, i had some time to kill after my dr's appt and i head to Target to try on these designer frocks for less... i still haven't been back to my normal shopping self, 2 yrs after giving birth -- because i still am not back to my pre pregnancy body ugh ugh ugh -- but anyhoo, today was sort of a break through as i was in the mood to try on all the clothes from this collection -- !!!!! -- much to my dismay, everything was ill fitting or had issues with the fabric and also the construction... after trying on about 15 dresses, i was left with only one dress hanging on the "to buy" hook... oh geez...

some of the dresses from the Go International Designer Collective... and below are some snapshots of me trying on the dresses ::gulp:: this is my first time to post these type of pics on my blog, my apologies in advance if the pics below make you squirm... and pardon the grocery cart beside me in the picture, i was trying on sooooo many dresses that i had to bring the entire cart in the fitting room lmao

sweetheart dress by richard chai... it looked cute on the hanger but looked the exact opposite on me... oh dear! trust me, the other dresses looked much worse [on me]

after so many misses, this one started to give me hope -- gathered dress in cyber floral by Thakoon... it was pretty but it made me look chubbier and rounder and the sewing wasn't too great, the peephole in the front wasn't exactly in the middle, and just other things not properly lining up...

the one and only dress that had promise -- tara jarmon's colorblock dress... for my body type, empire waist dresses seem to work... though my hubby thinks they just make me look pregnant... oh well, at least i have one new dress for spring

what's for lunch?

2011-03-17T10:01:00.003-04:00

cured salmon [by the hubby], baby arugula, creme fraiche and capers on pumpernickel bread... i actually had this 3 nights in a row now -- it's soooo good! and how i wish i could have it for lunch today, but alas! no more cured salmon. hubby has to make some more, more, moooooooooore!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T09:37:00.003-04:00

mommy told me i had to wear green today, so i obliged. here i am posing for mommy at the hallway, showing off my green trumpet with a clover leaf bottom on one hand and a carrot cupcake on another...

giving mommy the money shot before getting in the car to go to school. today is such a beautiful day, wish i could spend all day long at the playground. however, mommy tells me we have a party in school, so it might not be a bad idea to go to there today...

mommy bought a st. patty's day cake to bring to school for our party. she wished she had time to bake a cake, but maybe she'll make up for it on Easter!

i'm so excited to bring it to school and share with all my friends

some st. pat's artwork we did in school... can you guess which one is mine?

happy st. pat's to everyone! chug chug chug your milk today! bottoms up... ::burp::

xo, max

interesting things at the supermarket

2011-03-17T07:31:00.002-04:00

i thought they were rotten oranges... but no, they're ugli fruits as the price marker says... $2.99 each?! they better taste good... no, i didn't buy any, maybe i'll try it someday

cute tissue boxes at trader joe's... just what i need :)

saving grace

2011-03-14T07:36:00.002-04:00

as i mentioned 2 posts ago, this past week was very eventful, but not the good kind. someday i'll write about it... when the 'tremors' have subsided. one good thing that came out of it is having new appreciation for what we have now, most especially our little one, who is the greatest blessing in our lives. parenthood is the hardest task and responsibility i've ever had in my life, but it is by far the most rewarding of everything i have ever done and accomplished. and now, more than ever, i am very sure that i wouldn't trade it for anything else and would love to do it over and over again, for the rest of my life until my knees and back give up... maybe even after that, still...

what's for lunch?

2011-03-11T09:06:00.002-05:00

shrimp salad sandwich, tomato soup with bread sticks from Tom Collichio's 'wichcraft

two thumbs up! ::burp::

the most stupid self inflicted accident

2011-03-11T08:43:00.004-05:00

**warning: image below of graphic nature and not for the faint of heart**

i pick up max from school, put his backpack on the passenger seat as i always do and close the car door before buckling him into his car seat... and bam! just like that, my entire right hand turns frozen cold and numb... i freakin closed the door on my finger! somehow i manage to still carry max, buckle him in his car seat and drive home... i go to bed in hopes that when i wake up in the morning, it will all be better... but hell no! my finger with hematoma kept throbbing with pain the entire night... i head to my doctor first thing in the morning, he punctures a hole in my dead fingernail to drain the blood out and he sends me to the hospital to get an x-ray to make sure nothing's broken... halfway through the day i get good news that i have no fractures, yay!

seriously, this is the last thing i need to happen to me as i've had a VERY eventful weekend -- not of the good kind... i'm not about ready to talk about it yet, maybe in a couple of days i will have the courage to write about it... but, when i told my boss the story of my finger accident, he asked me what was on my mind or what i was thinking of at the time of the accident... and i just said "Oh yeah, i had A LOT of things on my mind that time"... and this is an understatement, to say the very least...

Baby and Toddler Fashion

2011-03-04T15:14:00.004-05:00

now that max recently turned 2, just like what i did in this previous post, i'd like to reminisce on the past year and my favorite looks...

we love rock n' roll graphic tee's, skinny jeans and velcro shoes ~ pink floyd shirt [a century 21 find], skinny jeans by utility at target and puma sneaks

left: button down shirt by penguin, skinny jeans by dkny, morgan and milo shoes

middle: kiss shirt from century 21, straight leg jeans from nautica and converse slip ons

right: l/s sport shirt from old navy, brown cotton sweatpants from carter's and converse slip ons

left: puma track suit and puma sneakers

middle: paul frank hoodie, puma track pants and mickey mouse crocs

right: nike windbreaker, khaki cargo pants from the gap, puma sneakers

left: plaid shirt from target, straight leg jeans from the gap, converse slip ons

middle: retro shirt with skull print by utility, straight leg jeans by joe's jeans, converse high tops

right: button down shirt by the gap, dkny skinny jeans, puma sneakers

we love cargo shorts in the summer! ~ shirts from the gap and h&m, all shorts from the gap, shoes by converse, crocs [with spongebob jibbits] and puma

we also love love love dr suess shirts and vintage print graphic shirts

left: robe by dwell studio

middle: elmo bucket hat, paul frank swim shorts

right: paul frank top, camo cargo shorts by the gap

ed hardy shirt and camo cargo shorts with morgan and milo shoes are totally appropriate for the library and the playground

penguin shirt and paper denim shorts with a belt, perfect for a bday party and some maracas action

typical get up during our hawaiian vacation ~ s/s button down shirts and khaki cargos all from the gap

baseball cap by nike, paul frank hoodie, gymboree puff vest jacket, carters sweats and puma sneakers

all black outfit for a trip to new york ~ tweed pea coat from the gap, skinny jeans by joe's jeans, converse hi-tops, beanie hat from neiman marcus

red corduroy button down shirt by ralph lauren, black straight leg jeans by joe's jeans, converse hi-tops is the perfect christmas party outfit

even sleepwear should be fab because you'll never know who you'll meet in your dreams ~ paul frank jammies, scooby doo jammies and dan post cowboy boots borrowed from mommy

FB pet peeves

2011-02-09T23:59:00.003-05:00

hi! my name is Tina and I am addicted to FB... there, i said it! there's something about this social network that seems to lure me to keep checking for updates, look at friends new photos, comment on statuses, upload photos of my son's daily adventures, etc... as everybody knows, it is a great tool for keeping in touch with family and friends, especially if they are a million miles away like the majority of my 400++ "FB friends". from time to time, i purge my friends list, trying to keep it to just people that matter to me, more importantly because i share so much personal information in my page that i don't necessarily want the entire world to know about... well, 400 people is my cap LOL... i've always tried to challenge myself not to post too much, but fail miserably as my son pulls off another funny antic worthy of a mobile picture upload. plus i get reprimanded by some friends who say i don't post enough of my son's pictures -- if you could even believe that. i do know that i post updates quite often and i am apologizing to those who get annoyed if i happen to fill up your newsfeed once in a while. i actually am considering giving up facebook for Lent!!! now that's a real challenge for me!... we'll see... but again, i digress... i can't help but think if somebody gets annoyed with my posts, causing them to de-friend me or hide me from their newsfeed as I have done the same thing myself hahaha.... here are the things that annoy me at FB that makes me think twice to keep people on my friends list, in no particular order...

1. those that update their status like every 5 mins... i mean like, really? really?

2. those who are first to comment [and the only one to comment] on their own status -- person 1 and person 2 are more than likely to be the same person who really needs to get a life

3. and for the couples out there, why do you have to "talk" to each other's wall?? there is such a thing as private messaging, or better yet, call or text each other on the phone.

4. those who vaguebook -- i am guilty of this a few times in the past -- but it still annoys me when people intentionally do it over and over again, just wanting to elicit some reaction.

5. those that check-in to each and every place they go to like every half hour. what would possess someone to think that people would care to know that they are at Costco or Walmart? i don't get it.

6. those who "like" every single comment on their own status, even if the comment is just ho-hum

7. those who post albums that don't even edit or screen the pictures. dude, when the picture is blurry or clearly nothing worth looking at, maybe you should think twice about uploading them, or better yet, delete them from your computer and save yourself some disk space

8. those who tag a picture of you even if it's really obvious that it's your most unflattering picture, triple double chin, beer belly hanging and all

9. people who tag you in pictures for products they are selling

10. and all those game updates, psychic readings, daily horoscope and fortune cookie messages... do you really want all of us to read that?

Online Shelter Magazines --- who knew?!?!?!

2011-02-09T23:11:00.004-05:00

oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh... remember this??? welllll gone are those days as i have completely rid myself of magazine subscriptions... [ummm except for free baby mags and one celebrity mag hehehe]. i actually just recently purged again and trashed all my remaining mags, leaving just a complete set of Blueprint and some Domino issues as my son's toys are slowly having a life of their own and taking over our entire home!!! HOWEVER, while doing some research for work, i chanced upon this treasure trove of ::drum roll please:: ONLINE SHELTER MAGAZINES!!! who knew?!?! well, maybe i'm the last to know as i have been too consumed with all things babies and toddlers in the last 2 years. all i can say is THIS IS GENIUS!! i love them, love them, love them!! and best of all, they are digital, you can keep coming back to look at them online, print only the pages you want, no more clutter in the house and finding for places to store them which makes this "hubby-approved"!!!... oh lordy, i'm already drooling over these pages so artfully laid out with amazing styling and genius photography...

of snow days and early dismissal

2011-02-05T00:24:00.006-05:00

this has been a crazy winter so far AND were only a month into winter!! January has had record breaking snow -- coming from a tropical country, i've always loved snow -- but now that i have a child who actually goes to school -- I DREAD SNOW DAYS because it means i can't go to work if the daycare is closed or i have to leave work early because of early dismissal. the most painful part [in the pocket] is that you pay the same fee week after week, doesn't matter if they were only open for 2, 3 or 4 days. it's so frustrating. thank god i am just working part time/freelance now, i can just imagine the stress if i was working full time for a big firm -- i probably would be close to being fired at this point. i'm sure i share the same frustration and sentiment as other parents who has the sole responsibility of schlepping their kids to and from school, and still manage to go to work. makes me wonder when i could ever go back to working full time... maybe not in the next 10 years. now it is snow, other days, they are sick. once he goes to preschool, he's off at 3PM! now what? what kind of employer [in my field] would hire me for a few hours in a day?!?!... i regress... i guess this is another topic for a post, "my worries as a mother as i love to take care of my son and be there for his every milestone but how can i find time to nurture my career"... but for now, i'm just praying for less snow days and an early spring so i can get some decent work hours in...

after 20 weeks of PT....

2011-02-04T23:58:00.003-05:00

...you might think that the little one is already fully potty trained... NOPE!! After that big breakthrough on Week 3, somehow we just regressed -- he got sick, had bad case of BM and we just slacked off on PT, then all of sudden he hated going to the potty, he started co-sleeping with us... and the list of bad habits goes on!! oy vey!!!! however, beginning this weekend, his teacher wants us to stop using pull ups, limiting it only for nap and sleep time. OH NO here we go! I'm prepared for my laundry load to double up! oh goodluck to us!

these days, the only way to get him to sit on the potty [without a resounding NOOO!] is first thing in the morning when he's half asleep and half awake ::sigh::

Toddler Bento's of Late

2011-01-30T00:38:00.002-05:00

i've been pretty delinquent with the bento's and the pictures below are some that i took in the last couple months that i found in iPhoto... i think my bento craze lasted all of 2 seconds hahaha... there's just really not enough time in the morning... well, if i didn't need to rush and go to work myself, then it would probably be a different story... probably, who knows? these days, i just the food as it is in the lunch box and pack them away hahaha! so much for creativity!

pb&j [sometimes nutella] train sandwiches for breakfast... i still do this though, i mix them up by using other cookie cutter shapes

hotdog, mini marshmallows, buttered veggies, white rice

same deal as above, but obviously didn't quite had the time that morning and forgot to put veggies

chicken, corn and rice

other toddler lunch staples are udon noodles, spaghetti, lo mein, marinated beef and rice, chicken teriyaki and rice...

Little Big Man Turns 2... Choo! Choo!

2011-01-29T20:53:00.006-05:00

this time of year is the busiest for us, not only because of the crazy holiday rush, but also a very special person in our family celebrates his birthday a week and a half after new year's... i can't believe our baby is now 2!!... i do feel like i have a 3 year old though hahaha... anyhoo, we celebrated his 2nd bday quietly, small get together with some close fam and friends [we do wish we could invite more people, but we just don't have the space in our home right now]... i also brought cuppies and ice cream to celebrate his birthday in school...

this year, compared to last year, he definitely knows that it is his birthday and has mastered blowing candles [he did great blowing the candles the day of his bday and kept saying "again" and didn't stop till the candle was too short to be lit again... however, it was quite the opposite during his bday party... probably nerves got to him with all these people just staring at him looking at his every move lol], mastered opening presents [non-stop gift opening all through december till his birthday in january] and is more social and interactive with his guests :) my baby is a lil man already!

vanilla and chocolate cuppies brought to daycare... this is an "oops" moment for me, more a "sacrilege" really because, because, because... ::gulp::, for the first time, i used boxed cake mix and store bought frosting! THERE, I said it! OH MY GOODNESS! it's sooo embarassing since I LOVE BAKING, but, but, BUT what is a busy working mom to do, right? I just thought to myself, it's just daycare anyway, these kids won't know the difference! ugghhh!!! i really felt so guilty... maybe when i finally become a SAHM, i will have time to bake again... ::sigh::

Thomas the Train cupcake for the lil man on the day of his birthday.... thank you Pathmark wahahaha.... I am sooooo bad really...

but this smile and happiness can really melt your heart and make all the exhaustion disappear

Max's Thomas the Train birthday cake for his 2nd birthday party. Made by Judy Lai of Silkcakes, same place we ordered his first birthday cake. Once again, the cake looks AWESOME and very, very, VERY delicious. I could eat this cake everyday! See how delighted and excited the birthday boy is upon seeing his cake?!?! truly priceless!... i can't wait for next year's bday cake, can't you tell we're making it a tradition?

birhtday boy with some of his cousins and friends

with the greatest gift a mother and father could ever have

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY TO THE LITTLE PERSON WHO TURNED OUR WORLD UPSIDE DOWN [BUT ALL FOR THE BETTER]!!!

MOMMY AND DADDY LOVES YOU VERY, VERY, VERY MUCH!!!

Walt Disney World

2011-01-27T18:58:00.011-05:00

the holidays was hectic as usual. with tons of christmas parties, left and right, double booking them just to make sure we get to see and spend time with all our precious family and friends. just like what we do every single year. one big diff though, we decided [on last minute] to spend christmas in sunny FLORIDA!!!

since my in-laws were spending christmas and new year's at the motherland, us "kids" hopped on a plane ourselves and jetted to Orlando to see the world famous mouse. it was truly a magical moment since we're all [my fam only] Magic Kingdom Virgins -- Disney World Virgins, really... if it's any indication of the times, me and my hubby get to go to Disney World for the VERY FIRST time in our mid 30's and my son, not even 2 years old, get to see the famous mouse in the flesh... tsk tsk tsk..

Epcot -- not really suitable for toddlers, not enough rides if you ask me. it was just OK in my book...

the Finding Nemo ride is where we stayed at most of the time as my son loves Nemo and enjoyed the aquarium

sharing some ice cream, and what a big ice cream it was! thanks to daddy who ordered double scoops!

Finally, Magic Kingdom!...where we all became kids again!

my son doing the "mr. pogi" pose

having a blast with his cousins, Disney World Veterans

he looooved the parade... especially when he saw Woody

max got front row seats to the electrical parade since the family in front us absolutely adored him and was kind enough to let him sit with them at the curb

the castle was really really really pretty and indeed, magical

it was a great vacation, just don't ask us how we managed to get home to the east coast which was getting slapped by a snowstorm on the day of our flight home. let's just say the supposedly 3-hour flight back home turned out to be a 2-day ordeal that involved both air and land traveling... moral lesson of the story: will def go back to Orlando, but not at the same circumstances we just had... it was definitely a trip we we all never forget and will talk about for ages -- for all the good and not so pleasant things we all had to go through...

Winter Garden

2011-01-27T18:35:00.005-05:00

the Winter Garden at the World Financial Center is just too too too pretty as it got dressed up for the holidays. It was really nice, even Max got mesmerized by the lights... we spent a good deal of time there just looking up!

he kept saying "wow, lights!"

...and then got distracted by a new toy...

Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden

2011-01-27T17:43:00.008-05:00

Winters in the east coast can be pretty harsh and the likelihood of cabin fever increases. Thank god we live so close to the city that never sleeps so we can break out from the house once in awhile and engage in fun indoor activities even when temps outside are frigid. One of the things that I highly recommend for parents with kids is the annual Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden. They feature scale models of about 140 New York landmarks, entirely made of natural materials like leaves, twigs, bark, etc. There's a train track that circles around all the scale models and it's such a joy to see. My son enjoyed it immensely as he is very much into trains, and of course, being a designer, I got a kick out of seeing these architectural wonders done in this very special way. It is guaranteed fun for the whole family.

my little big man's first trip to the New York Botanical Garden

lady liberty welcomes everyone

TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport designed by Eero Saarinen

Gracie Mansion, home of NY Mayor Bloomberg

New York Public Library

Yankee Stadium

Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, Chrysler Building

Brooklyn Bridge

my son, fixated on the trains...

Turkey Day 2010

2011-01-27T14:05:00.003-05:00

I'm baaaaaack... again, for the nth time! the holidays are over, Max's 2nd birthday party is finished... now our lives are slowly going back to normal mode which hopefully means having some blogging time again! the next couple posts would be just to re-cap exciting and eventful things that happened in the last couple months since Halloween... and what is the next holiday after Halloween -- THANKSGIVING!!! There are a number of things that could have been better for 2010, but despite all those, I am still so very thankful for all the blessings, especially good health for my family. Nothing is more important than being with family, enjoying each other's company and creating beautiful memories to last us our entire lives together.

our turkey made by the hubs... the star of the show [for the day]

my reason for being

Max-ism #5: Happy Place

2011-01-27T12:55:00.004-05:00

The last few months, Max has been able to appreciate Disney movies. He actually sits through the entire movie (popcorn, juice, milk and other snacks on hand) and insists on multiple replays. Toy Story and Finding Nemo are his favorites right now and it's fascinating to me as I observe him get emotionally involved in the movies. He feels happy and even sings or bops his head or breaks to a dance, laughs and says "funny", feels sad and says "oh no", feels frustrated and says "oh man!" and feels scared and says "wiggles! wiggles! wiggles!" -- this is the part that cracks me up -- every time he gets scared, he shouts "wiggles! wiggles! wiggles!" -- the wiggles (which is his all-time favorite show -- completely trumps elmo and thomas) might just be his so-called "happy place". isn't that amazing? he just turned 2 this month and he's so attuned with his emotions. he even knows to fill his head with "happy thoughts" to soothe him when he gets scared.

Max-ism #4: Love

2010-11-19T17:33:00.002-05:00

Max and I were watching Monsters Inc and at the scene where Boo hugged Sully, Max said "ay layu!" (i love you) aaawwwww.... my son understands the emotion that is love

DJ LANCE ROCK...

2010-11-12T23:47:00.005-05:00

...is what i decided to dress my child as for halloween. the costume is completely hilarious, just perfect for halloween. he will probably hate me when this photo ends up in the video montage for his wedding 30 years from now, but i think this is not too bad compared to his potty training pictures LOL! besides, i think it's pretty cool that Brad Pitt and Jack Black both sported the same outfit, but of course Max looks cutest in it!

dj lance rock trick or treating in hoboken, nj

whoah!!! another dj lance!! kewl!

Max-ism #3: Back Seat Driver

2010-11-10T21:36:00.002-05:00

the other morning, while driving max to school... on a stoplight, i decided to text somebody then the lil back seat driver suddenly yelled "go, go, goooo!!!!"... a split second after he screamed at me, the light turned green... tsk tsk tsk

then at the next intersection, i decided to stop and hand signaled the car in front of me to go ahead and take a turn, i noticed from my rear view mirror that max was doing the same hand signal behind me. a one year old back seat driver, go figure!

Max-ism #2: Corner and Connor

2010-11-10T21:28:00.003-05:00

a couple nights ago, hubby was trying to put max to bed... of course, the lil monkey that he is, he kept ignoring his dad and just kept jumping and jumping on the bed...

den: max, go to sleep NOW

max: [stops jumping, lays his head on the pillow, pulls the comforter over him and pretends to snore] zzzzZZZzzzz... [then laughs, stands up and proceeds to more jumping]

den: you want to go to the corner?!?!

max: corner?... no... hhmmm... connor? where? where connor? baby?

me: max, daddy said "corner", time out -- not connor. Connor is your friend in school...

Max-ism #1: Farting equals Potty

2010-10-26T22:52:00.003-04:00

One night, mommy and max were chillin in front of the telly after having a huge dinner... a certain **someone** [not max] suddenly passed gas... then 21 month old max said "uh-oh! potty!"

Apple Picking 2010: Masker Orchard

2010-10-21T22:38:00.008-04:00

Every year, around late September, early October, we go apple picking at our favorite orchard in upstate NY -- Masker Orchards. Apple picking this year was so much more fun and special because the lil guy is already walking and having a go at picking his own apples! Here's a couple of my fave pics that the hubs and i took that day...

early morn at the weehawken park, waiting for the latecomers

apples, apples, apples everywhere!

attempting to pick some granny smith apples

max with his NIECE sam... these two were actually mistaken for twins!... sam is 2 months younger, but she sure looks like she's bigger than max!

this is the filipino style of picking fruit from a tree -- we call this nanunungkit

walking down the dirt road/car path with this branch that he was so fond of

happy to find their way out of the maze

a giraffe balloon from this farmer clown who's always there every single year

till next year! maybe max can ride the ponies by then... oh how exciting!

Dinner date at... where else but our favorite L'ecole

2010-10-19T20:51:00.004-04:00

hubs and i finally found time to go out for dinner without the little one in tow... where else should we go but L'ecole hahaha, what can i say, my husband is a very loyal alumni... here's a photo diary of our once in a blue moon dinner date...

amuse bouche

grilled fig-glazed pork belly, butternut squash puree and crispy shallots

roasted duck, white sweet potato puree, baby bok choy, shitake mushrooms, sweet & sour orange sauce

broiled lamb t-bone steak, seasonal veggies, goat cheese polenta [really REALLY good!!] and fig-merlot lamb jus

braised cod, chorizo, clams, kale and saffron potatoes

digestive

and our dessert spread, half of it compliments of the kitchen [woot woot]

triple chocolate cake, green apple sorbet

pecan pie

brown butter cake

and my favorite!!! i don't even know what it's called but there's banana in there lol --- it was sooooooooooooooo yummy!!! mmmMMMmmmMMMmm

4th Week of PT

2010-10-17T19:02:00.002-04:00

We've just finished the first month of potty training, and boy we've had lots of ups and downs... but at least i know there's been improvement from when we first started till now. he now says "i gotta go potty" or simply "potty" when nature calls. BUT NOT ALL THE TIME. It's especially hard when he's engrossed or pre-occupied with something. Forget about potty when he's watching Thomas the Train videos. I'm not sure if it's even good, but at times [if not all the time], I have to bring the laptop [playing the Thomas vid] to the bathroom just to have the little one follow me to the potty. PT on weekends is a bit rough too. I still have to work on that part -- potty training when not at home on weekends... ::sigh::

The last couple nights, little guy has been acting strange... waking up in the middle of night and walking to our room and wanting to play! for someone who learned to sleep through the night very early on [4 months old], this means something is wrong -- either he's teething, congested, sick or getting a fever. he's been a bit warm [low-grade fever] but what's funny is, when he wakes up in the middle of the night, he says "potty" and he actually pees in the potty. so i'm not sure if he wakes up because he feels he has to go to the bathroom, and having a fever now is just coincidence. oh well, but i get excited and so happy every time he tells me "potty" and i bring him to the bathroom and he does his business :)

Toddler Bentos of the week that was

2010-10-10T09:41:00.002-04:00

here's a couple toddler bento's i managed to take pictures of before dashing off to drop my son at daycare and go to work... again, i seem to have no time to do the creative bento's just yet, oh well....

leftover pansit [a traditional filipino noodle dish of veggies and chicken] by my mil, stir fried broccoli and carrots with butter

corn on the cob, leftover KFC chicken, white rice

this was the most creative i could get this week haha -- "octopus" hotdog with peas for eyes [stayed on with help from peanut butter], white rice, steamed carrots and peas

not so healthy snack [a bit high on the sugar] but it's some of my son's favorites: cocoa puffs cereal, honey graham sticks and marshmallows -- it kinda looks to me like a halloween theme snack, a play with black and white, good and evil... honey graham sticks as graveyard headstones on a land of cocoa puffs dirt, the marshmallows are clouds --- lol, whatever! i am officially starting to lose it!

MoMa finds...

2010-10-07T21:51:00.007-04:00

it's been awhile since i've been to MoMa, actually, since canceling my membership soon after my baby was born, i haven't been back. i was in the area this week due to a client who lives next door to the museum. i got the chance to take a peek into the store in between meetings with our subs. as always -- ingenious, cute, quirky and creative things fill the store and here's a couple things i loved... [click on pictures to enlarge]

i absolutely love all the doodle books!! when max is older, i will for sure get him a couple of those to get his creative juices flowing... and i might actually get some for myself too!

Breakthrough on Day 21...

2010-10-05T00:09:00.005-04:00

wow finally! i think my lil man is finally getting the idea of the potty, telling me when he needs to go and is able to hold it... today, in the car on our way home from the daycare, max said, "mommy, potty" pointing to his crotch and then i replied by saying, "try to hold your peepee, we'll go potty when we get home." 10 minutes later, we get home, sat him on the potty and then he peed! i checked his pull-ups and it was dry -- hoooray!!! what a big success! there's more!!!...

after that, we left again to pick up the hubs at the ferry terminal and have dinner out. an hour and a half later, we get back home, and while playing, he said "mommy, potty" and this time pointing to his bum. i whisked him to the toilet and of course he does both #1 and #2. i am sooooo proud of my little boy today!!!

i'm crossing my fingers and toes that this is not just a one time deal and that he continues to make progress... sooooo happy!

BR Boyfriend Cord

2010-10-01T09:59:00.002-04:00

lemme tell you how happy i am again to find some ultra comfy, super soft, nice fitting pants, just perfect for my mommy lifestyle... i was at Banana Republic last night since I HAD TO make a purchase before the day ends because my birthday coupon was expiring that very night. and my oh my, i have to say, they have some really nice pants and jeans there. for years, i've been madly in love with their Martin Fit trousers and that's all i wore during my corporate days, and never really cared for their jeans. but last night, i tried on a couple and they were all pretty good, and what's better is they're reasonably priced. my fave purchase last night are these boyfriend cords in a luscious silver gray color... i might just give in and buy me some brogues to complete the look...

photo from BR

Toddler Asian Bento and snack

2010-10-01T09:39:00.003-04:00

last weekend i went to mitsuwa which is conveniently near our home to check out their bento aisle -- it was a complete disappointment because there was hardly anything there, just a few containers and a handful of accessories... not wanting to go home empty handed, i bought a bento lunch box for the lil guy. today was my first day to actually use it and thought to do an asian theme bento. i didn't do anything creative [no eyes, no ears, no nose, no hair, no faces, nothing.] because i had no time this morning. the bed was more appealing to me especially with the weather we've been having the last couple days [rain, rain and nothing in site but more rain].

some shelled edamame, shrimp and pork siomai and some leftover udon from our dinner at a chinese resto last night [i am crossing my fingers that max eats the udon today for lunch -- he loves them, don't get me wrong -- but he ate a ton of them last night that he might not want to have them again today. i guess that's why i put some siomai and edamame in there to trick him that it's not the same as last night's dinner lol]

afternoon snack: pirate's booty white cheddar curls, teddy bear choco chip graham cookies, with a sprinkling of dried cranberries

Thursday is my favorite day of the week

2010-10-01T00:43:00.006-04:00

...for two reasons -- first being, it's my last work day of the week and second, it's pizza day thursday at max's school which means i don't have to pack him lunch, just breakfast and afternoon snacks. great! please add another point to my "bad mommy" chart -- it's the same thing like giving my son Lunchables for lunch [which i'm surprised i haven't done yet, maybe i'm not that desperate YET], it's got "bad mommy" written all over it [i actually read this in a very recent magazine article] lol... anyway, it's the same thing for other learning centers here, pizza day that is, so i shouldn't feel bad. plus, a one day break a week from agonizing on what to pack for lunch is one of the things that keeps my sanity in check...

having a little bit more time, i decided to cut holes in this pb&j sandwich, since max still is not good in eating/biting regular sized sandwiches

voila! mini, ritz-like, pb&j sandwiches for breakfast accompanied by low fat yogurt and milk and cereal [not shown]

for afternoon snacks, we have some chocolate granola bites, vanilla yogurt covered raisins and some homemade star-shaped sugar cookies

and of course, the usual fresh fruits to munch on all day long

After 2 weeks of PT...

2010-10-01T00:15:00.004-04:00

after 2 weeks of potty training, i think we're still pretty much on track. of course accidents still abound, especially when i forget that it's time to sit him again in the potty and i'm busy FB'ng ::bad mommy:: lil guy still can't control and hold, he just goes when he has to go, but atleast now, he is fully aware when it's happening. if he is doing #1, you will see him hold his crotch and either say "eeewww" or "peepee". if he is doing #2, he'll point to his bum and say "poopoo". mind you, he doesn't do this 100% of the time yet, when he's excited or distracted by something else more interesting, he just goes without telling you. but it is still an improvement. i think we've had more "hits" vs "misses" in the second week, most especially in the poopoo department. hooray! i am pretty sure our water bill will be so much higher this month because the little boy is just so fond of flushing. i am still not doing well when we're in public places though. i pretty much don't do potty training [sitting him on the potty every 30 mins] when we're out --- bad bad bad!! oh well, i'll get there soon. there's got to be at least one decent public toilet out there to have my son sit on... just the thought of it gives me the creeps... one step at a time for my lil man and me...

caught in the act...

"hi mommy! all done!"

"what do you mean clean up??! i didn't do it! monkey did it!"

how can something so healthy taste good...

2010-09-30T23:58:00.003-04:00

...i couldn't believe it! it tastes just like any other junk food, and yet it's packed with nutritional goodness... ingredients: brown rice, husked lotus, pearl barley, buckwheat, rice, oatmeal, pea, small red beans, mung beans, speckled kidney bean, black soybeans, black glutinous rice, corn, egg, palm oil, granulated sugar, soy sauce powder (soybeans, wheat, salt, sugar), sugar. i don't even eat most of what's in it by themselves, and yet i am soooo addicted to this snack. max too! it's his favorite thing to eat in the car when i pick him up from school in the afternoon. it's the only snack (aside from fresh fruits) that i don't feel guilty feeding my son. it's actually an ovo-lacto vegetarian snack, whatever that means... crispiroll 12 grain, you are my snack time hero!

crispiroll 12 grain bought from h-mart

Baby Shower Cuppies

2010-09-27T23:10:00.004-04:00

a good friend of mine who also happens to be my son's godmother is having a baby!! we threw her a surprise baby shower and thought to make some cuppies fitting for the occasion. i've been meaning to get my hands on the fondant decorating set that my sister gave me awhile back, but this busy working momma has no time. i think i spent waaayy to much time looking at the cute baby shower cupcake images online -- got sooo pumped and excited after the first few images, got some good inspiration half way thru -- but lost steam in the end and decided to do something simple. i would love to do some fondant art, maybe when max goes to high school i'll have time to mold little tiny babies wearing a diaper with safety pin and sucking on a pacifier... but for now, my pink plastic paci's, rattles, carriages and pins that i bought at Party City will do! i think they still have the cute factor...

mini whole wheat red velvet cuppies with low fat cream cheese frosting... next time i will try baking using splenda :)

A Day Out with Thomas the Train

2010-09-25T10:36:00.006-04:00

recently, little boy has been obsessed with Thomas... as soon as he wakes up, first word out of his mouth is "choo, choo" points to the tv, says "yeah" accompanied by a firm [very firm] nod... he's lucky to have two older cousins that were obsessed with Thomas too so now, at a young age of 20 months he's got a train set with all the bells and whistles and an awesome train table. i don't think it's even recommended for his age, but oh well, he is having loads of fun with it. and the BEST part is, i didn't spend a single penny! anyhoo, me and my SIL figured it would be nice to take the kids to the Strasburg Railroad where they have Thomas the Train and Sir Topham Hatt. It's a no brainer that the kids would have a blast there and a great way to end the summer. Strasburg Railroad is in Lancaster County in PA, a good 2.5-3 hrs drive from us...

it's all farm land in Lancaster... and you get to share the road with horse driven carriages too with amish people on board... it was pretty cool

the parking lot for Thomas the Train is in the middle of the corn fields!

then there's school buses that shuttle people back and forth to the railroad... they come every 3-5 mins and the last bus leaves the railroad at 7pm

arriving at Strasburg Railroad... really cool old trains greet everyone

here comes Thomas!!!

all aboard Thomas the Tank Engine... it was a short ride, no going around or anything like that -- it was just a straight ride, going north and south of the railway

then after the train ride, you line up to get your picture taken in front of Thomas

the kids actually enjoyed train watching, just watching Thomas go back and forth the railway since he runs every 15 and 45 of the hour... so we sat there for a good hour...

then we lined up to see Sir Topham Hatt... it was sooo funny because Max got so scared of him -- he ran to the photographer and hid behind her hahaha!!

then we checked out the other tents and other free activities and free rides...

free tattoos

a big tent with everything Thomas -- train tables, puzzles, lego's -- plenty enough for all the kids to play with and share

a band played some music which let the kids join along and play instruments... they even let the kids get mic time, telling jokes and singing [mostly twinkle twinkle little star and abc's]

there was a handful of free rides, including the cranky cars above

everybody definitely had a grand time... adults included

Bento Lunch Box #1

2010-09-22T20:26:00.006-04:00

one of the many things that consume my time on a daily basis is thinking, prepping and packing max's food backpack -- yes, it's not a lunch box -- it's an actual backpack which has anything and everything he needs to eat and drink for the 9 hours that he spends at the daycare. packing lunch alone, is already a big challenge for most moms whether you're a SAHM or a WM -- what more packing breakfast, lunch and snacks EVERY SINGLE DAY?!?! such is my life... every parent knows that feeding a toddler is no easy task, my 20-month old is pretty adventurous and has a good appetite on most days, but he is picky in the sense that he won't eat something that he's had very recently. he easily gets tired of the same thing and craves variety -- which makes me cringe because i am totally handicap when it comes to cooking. my french-culinary-school-trained hubby is consumed by work, hence leaving me by my lonesome to slave in the kitchen, figuring out what to feed this poor child. as i do my research online searching for lunch ideas, i come across these super cute images of bento box lunches and i was completely drawn and in awe of the creativity, time and effort and love put into them... creativity i have, time -- mmmm, not so much... but nevertheless, i give it a try. i scrounge around for some cookie cutters and start to make my very first toddler bento lunch box...

wahahaha... first bento lunch box attempt -- FAIL!!! you couldn't even see that the rice is pig-shaped! the butterfly shaped carrot turned out nice though. now i can't wait to go to mitsuwa on friday and raid their bento lunch box aisle -- if they even have one. all the bento lunch accessories i saw online were too cute! i want all of them!

a closer look at the failed bento lunch box -- broccoli and cauliflower trees, butterfly and flower carrots, pig rice and chicken [afritada] ground/soil... boo! too ugly. i didn't have anything for the eyes . i was thinking to put a black pepper -- wahahaha, my poor child! but then decided to use a drop of soy sauce instead -- waaahhhh!! too ghetto! only good news is, the container came back empty, so i guess the little guy ate it at lunch today :)

his usual breakfast -- low fat yogurt, cantaloupe, peaches, and then they give him cereal with milk or oatmeal or pancake/waffles which they prepare at the daycare

i always pack him another container of fresh cut up fruits [grapes, orange, pear and kiwi] for lunch and afternoon snacks

afternoon snack for the day is homemade banana bread with choc chips and blueberries and some "peanut crunch" [rice crispies with peanuts] and yogurt melts

Relaxed Tuxedo Pants

2010-09-17T09:46:00.004-04:00

i did a little fall shopping for the lil man last week -- mostly pants since it's getting colder now -- comfy track and cargo pants for school and of course some skinny and straight jeans for painting the town red! there were tons on sale from the gap and i just love their 1969 premium jeans collection for kids! i still am not quite back to shopping for myself -- however, i couldn't resist these khaki tuxedo pants that was on the mannequin and so i tried them on -- OH EM GEE -- they're my fave pants right now, sooooo comfy, i love how it sits on my waist and hips and just fits right. it doesn't give me the ever so annoying muffin top. the best thing -- it's DIRT CHEAP!! [i wish i could trade my piles of hundred dollar designer jeans that don't fit well for a hundred of these] honestly, if i can, i would wear them every single day. and they're on sale now so there's not a whole lot of 'em left. love it and glad i snagged one before they were gone...

relaxed khaki tuxedo pants from the gap

pic taken from the gap website

Spa Baby Tub

2010-09-16T23:27:00.004-04:00

i saw this ad on kiwi mag and i just had to laugh out loud... it reminds of back home where this is pretty normal and all babies/kids always had pictures of being in the balde... i guess this is the more glamorized version of the balde... after all, it IS "the European style baby tub" [it probably won't market well as much if it said "the philippine style baby tub"]. it's just so funny that something so ordinary and cheap back home is viewed to be more special, ingenious, high end and a luxury over here... for $50 a pop, you could probably have about 50 of these in the motherland... just saying...

PT Day 4 ~ Yaaayy!! Goooo!!

2010-09-16T21:10:00.002-04:00

...his exact words as he peed in the potty at home today before bedtime! yaaayy goooo indeed hahaha! it was my first time seeing him actually pee in the potty here at home and just like any first, it was sooo exhilarating -- yes, who knew i would get this excited about peeing?!?! so far, so good... thank you god!

we actually had dinner out today and i was kind of nervous how to go about it... what if he decides to poop? what if he wants to pee?... i wasn't prepared. i have to do some research tonight on portable potty or disposable ones, if they exist, especially because we are planning an out of town trip this weekend which happens to be a 3-hour drive ::egad:: thank god he didn't have to go and do #2. i did take him to the restroom after dinner and just made him stand on the toilet seat covered with tissue. but i was too late, he had already peed maybe while having dinner... now i'm really nervous about this weekend...

PT Day 3 ~ King of the Potty...

2010-09-15T21:04:00.005-04:00

...or maybe not!... however, there is still reason to celebrate because on Day 3 he pooped twice in the potty!!! ding, ding, ding, ding!!! once in the morning at school and second time at home after dinner. however, on both instances, it was not because he warned us and said he needed to go poopoo. it was a combination of his teacher's great timing and my lightning speed reflexes -- still a reason to be happy on hump day. he still doesn't say either that he needs to pee, i just see him holding on to his wet crotch when he's peeing... i'm very hopeful and positive that we're for sure on our way!... oh and his teacher told me that he only used ONE -- yes ONE -- pull ups today -- woohoo!!

some light morning reading on day 3

never too young to multi task

bawal asarin ang bagong gising

::yaaaawwnn::

my little king of the potty... for the day

Adventures in Potty Training ~ Day 1 & 2

2010-09-14T21:05:00.003-04:00

it was only a couple weeks ago that we transitioned him to a big boy bed... and now, we've started potty training!! OY VEY! It's only Day 2 and I'm already exhausted! and to think, i only do it at night, when we go home after picking him up at daycare. his teacher at daycare deserves more than a medal -- she sits max on the potty for 5 mins every half hour -- in the 9 hours that he's there... OMG!!!

DAY 1 ~ as soon as we got home, i sat him on the potty and he managed to stay for 10 mins. NOTHING... i let him wear his undies since we were in the living/dining where we have wall to wall carpeting... sure enough 5 mins after leaving the bathroom, he pees, wetting our mohair sofa!!!! i take his wet undies off and he points to it, saying "oh no! oh no! oh no!" about 5 times... then we eat dinner and i let him drink tons of water... after a half hour, i sit him again on the potty for another 10 mins... NOTHING again... this time, i put on some loose pants on him and pees again in his pants in the next 15 minutes, the carpet being the casualty... aarrrggghhhh!!... then we go up because it's bath time, we let him run around naked in his room after taking a bath [thank god for hardwood flooring]... then i noticed him suddenly stop in his tracks and mildly grunting... i whisk him to his bathroom as quickly as i can... but i don't make it! splat here, splat there... hubby almost threw up.... tsk tsk tsk!!! so much for DAY 1 [at home] -- no hits, all misses, major fail...

bathroom essentials aka things that make him sit long on the potty -- favorite books and kitchen timer! the timer works wonders, i tell him that he can't get off the potty until he hears the timer go off... so far, i think he just gets a kick out of hearing it... he keeps making me wind it and wind it and patiently waits till it rings again...

then he wakes up in the middle of the night [btw, i took this pic in the morning when he woke up]... heads straight to his bathroom. i sit him on the potty... nothing... told him to go back to sleep... he did but only after grabbing 2 of his undies -- he wanted to wear pull-ups, elmo undies, scooby doo pj's then wall-e undies... WHY? not sure why but i suspect he's probably feeling weird about the "thinness" of his underpants and compensating by layering up... just a guess... that or he's just fascinated with underwear, now that he's no longer wearing diapers

DAY 2 ~ picked him up at the daycare and he was soaking wet! great job potty training huh? it's the day his teacher goes home half an hour early, so i guess her assistant forgot that max needs to constantly sit on the potty until the time i pick him up... anyhoo, back home, no accidents today, but still missed when he peed. i let him wear pull-ups, so no leaks this time. played in his room butt naked before bedtime and no pooping accident this time around... now i'm scared for tomorrow because he normally poops after dinner... i hope there's no surprise waiting for me in the morning [oh please dear god]...

"where mommy? where?"... leafing through past issues of gourmet mag... showing him food pics and we were pretending to eat them from the page hahaha

kids this age just love being naked...

i'm just praying we survive this week... i hope things improve and get better soon!

Monkey See, Monkey Do

2010-09-11T10:28:00.002-04:00

i constantly have to remind myself to be careful of things i do and say... lil man is a sponge right now, absorbing just about everything he sees and hears. case in point, the very asian behavior of slurping any liquid from a bowl... max was having cereal with milk for breakfast today, and as i turned to look...

slurp, slurp... slurping away! ayayay!

and i learned an important lesson today -- of which i'm not quite sure i can follow up on diligently -- i was busy cleaning in the kitchen and lil man kept calling "mommy, mommy, mommy!"... i looked and he had a soggy piece of corn pop on his upper lip -- couldn't help but laugh and giggle with him and of course, i even took a picture [evidence above]... then sure enough, he decides to shove his nose with every single piece of cereal in his bowl to make his mommy laugh some more... oy vey! this boy looks like mommy but surely got his sense of humor from daddy... now how can i not resist taking part in silly things like this?!?!?

the tyranny of the lunch box

2010-09-08T22:30:00.005-04:00

a wonderful read from the august/september 2010 issue of kiwi magazine -- great and funny article about a mom's year long adventure with packing lunch for her 4 kids. she starts with loving the idea of bento boxes to completely ditching them all in the end... click on image for larger image to read article

Decorating Ideas for Kid Spaces

2010-09-07T22:03:00.002-04:00

this month's issue of Martha Stewart Living Magazine is the Home Issue -- it is the only reason I bought it actually... and one article that i really enjoyed was the feature on Rebecca Robertson's [the deputy decorating editor at MSL] manhattan loft which used to be a shipbuilder's warehouse. i like how accessible the design is, showing how to creatively mix expensive mid-century furniture [that i adore] with inexpensive IKEA furnishings and make things work with a little DIY. this loft space is fabulous! by the way, they also featured this loft space back in 2008 when they underwent their first [?] renovation... click here to read article...

this DIY paper scroll table is genius... click here for instructions

click on the images for larger view