Gabby's First Birthday Celeb at Home :)



Her Supposedly birthday tarpaulin. Unfortunately, they printed it in a Strawberry Shortcake Theme which is not accepted in her Jollibee Party, so I had this changed.



Gab Gab, Gab Gab, isang taon ka na!

We are singing this chant morning of September 11, 2012. Finally, my little girl turned 1! There are many things and reasons why they say that the first birthday is really something special and needs a celebration. First is that she finally overcame her vulnerability. She was now a not so little girl and can now move and do some things on her own, compared on her state a year ago. Tatay and Nanay (we preferred to be called this way) were also very happy on her loud jabbers, babbles, dadada’s, nyanyanya and all those very wet kisses on my cheeks but makes me the happiest Nanay in the world. And of course, this is a celebration of my first year of motherhood! Yey! All those sleepness nights were really worth it. J

We had a separate “salo salo” in our house to celebrate this special day. Her birthday falls on a Tuesday, making most of my friends and her ninong and ninangs busy on their work. And of course, Jollibee Party was really for kids, o we had this for our very close “kapitbahay” so that we could also share our blessings with them as well.

Her Birthday Balloon Courtesy of her Ninang Grace



Her Birthday Cake courtesy of Red Ribbon (Triple Chocolate Cake, Soooo yummy!)





Her Character Kitty Balloons courtesy of one of her Lolas.



Birthday Greetings Section of Pilipino Star Ngaun, Courtesy of one of my friends. :)



We prepared packed miryenda for kids. Here's the Menu:

For Kids (packed in a styro container 50 pcs)

Since most of the kids were also invited in her Jollibee party, we just managed to give them small amounts of miryenda. They also had classes on this day so very few kids were able to make it in our house.

·         Spaghetti

·         3 pcs of lumpia

·         3 pieces of candies

For Adults:

·         Chopsuey

·         Menudo

·         Lechon (courtesy of my dad, her lolo. Thanks Pa!)

·         Lumpia

·         Vegetable Salad

·         Shrimp

·         Palabok and Spaghetti

·         Kutsinta (courtesy of one of her Lolas)

She has so many sponsors during this house party/thanksgiving, but of course we cannot use this in her Jollibee party, so we just accepted them all.

We had so much fun because we were able to share our blessings with so many people. J Happy Birthday Gabby!

 


Gabrielle Fatima’s First Birthday – The preparation

Long Overdue Blog.

My baby turned one last September 11, 2012. Here are the preparations for this special day of her life.

Venue: Jollibee Meycauayan Hi-way

After almost 6 months of scouting and looking for possible venues/caterers, my husband and I finally decided to book Jollibee Meycauayan for a hassle free party. My party host was Roby, and she was really accommodating with all my questions. Prior to us going to Jollibee, I researched on the restrictions and other possible questions that I had in mind. You may also try to make your own menu and calculate it through their website.

www.jollibeekidsparty.com/

 

Menu:

For Adults:  1 pc chicken joy with rice

                   Regular Yum

                   Fries

                   Softdrinks

                   Sundae

For Kids:   Spaghetti

                 Regular Yum

                 Sprite Float

                 Jolly Twirl

I chose the option 5 from the Jollibee meal, wherein I chose my own menu. They allowed it for the first 30 pax, and for the succeeding pax, you can just choose value meals.

Theme: Barbie

I chose Barbie because I wanted a girlie theme, and for us to have a specific or uniform character in the Tarpaulin, giveaways, lootbags or even cake. I guess after a week of our booking, Jollibee launched another set of themes, Strawberry Shortcake and Green Lantern.

It is written in the contract that you cannot use other characters other than Barbie. Generic ones will do.

Cake: The Pastry Chef ( Ms Jhen Dela Cruz)

Email: jborjdelacruz@yahoo.com.ph

Cellphone: 09228864909

Address: Network Avenue, Meralco Village Marilao (in front of the playground)

We are just from Meycauayan and Ms Jhen’s store in Marilao Bulacan is just around 20 mins away from our house. I tried to contact her through email and through text but unfortunately, she cannot response right away to my queries so I decided to just drop by her store. She doesn’t have a Barbie theme so I just chose a design from her photos. I chose the Candy Land design, all edible. We were accommodated by Ms Eva, which was very friendly as well.

In Jollibee, you cannot eat/serve the cake, if it from an outside supplier. Only Red Ribbon cakes were allowed to be served.

Loot Bags: c/o Divisoria (Divi Mall)

I just use a generic plastic bag with a Happy Birthday for the giveaways.

What’s inside?

Tumbler

Towel

Pencil, eraser, ruler, scissors (1 set)

Pochi Candy

Candies

Bubbles

Game Prizes and Balloons: c/o Jollibee and I just added some from Divi Mall.

Pabitin: DiviMall and Puregold (note that I didn’t bought any candies from Divimall. I bought them in Puregold)

Tarpaulin: Auxilio Printing.

This is my cousin’s business.  You may look for Tita Bel for inquiries.

Cellphone: 09261591076

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/auxilioprinting.deguzman?fref=ts

Souvenir: Cupcakes c/o my Best Friend Valerie.

She is doing cupcake business as a hobby. I assure you she won’t charge that much. Just tell her I referred her. J

Here’s her number: 09178820909

I’ll post every pix on my next blog! Happy preps! J

The Greatest Love Story God had Ever Told.

He was my college crush. We became friends for we are in the same organization. I had my boyfriend then, he had a girlfriend.

Until I graduated from college. I had my first job, and he is still studying, since I am 1 year ahead of him. We had our constant friendly texts. Until such time that destiny put us together. We were still young then that’s why we broke up for almost a year. Since we are in the same organization, we had been seeing each other sometimes on some of the events. And for the second time, we tried to be a couple.

This time, it clicked. But it’s not really a walk in the park for us.  We’ve had so many ups and downs as a couple, plus the fact that we are in a long distance relationship. He worked as a shift manager in one of the fast food chains in Pampanga, and that time, I’m working night shift, giving us so little time for dating and stuffs. And the rest is history.



Our second year anniv in Tagaytay



Third Year Anniv in Bohol



Our Baguio Getaway



God must be really good to me for bringing me to him. I am not perfect, neither does he. But these imperfections made us perfect for each other.

Generic and Imported Diapers - A Review

When I’m still pregnant, I told hubby that we’re going to use the traditional lampin on her for us to save money. Luckily for us, one of my friends had given me “lampins” on my baby shower.

But when I gave birth, I saw the necessity of using disposable diapers on her.  I gave birth via C-Section, a Mompreneur, and has a fulltime job. My mom was the only one who takes care of my baby when I am at work. Using disposable diapers can make me save laundry soap, water and of course time! And aside fro the fact that newborns usually use 5-9 pieces of diapers per day because they often poop.

We tried EQ Newborn on her. We tried the starter pack of 4 pieces, and that costs 27 pesos, or 6.75 pesos each. When we saw the demand, we bought bigger packs, the biggest available in supermarkets was the 24pc pack, which is around 125 pesos, or roughly 5.20 pesos each.

After days of using EQ, I noticed that it leaks whenever she poops, thus making me change her clothes often. I thought at first that this was normal. So I just ignored the burden of a leaking diaper for several weeks. Until one day, I noticed some red spots on Gabby’s butt. She also cries more at night. She also cries when she poops. The red spots became rashes and alas, she’s suffering from diaper rash.

It alarmed me so much, knowing also that she’s not comfortable and she is in pain. I then searched the net on how to treat diaper rashes. I saw some several creams, but they were pricey. I then saw that it was indeed come from diapers, and changing diaper brands is the best solution.

At the back of my mind, I am thinking that good quality diapers come with a cost. But I was wrong. I came into a parenting website wherein there were good reviews regarding Generic diapers, meaning, diapers that are not out in the market. These were imported ones, usually came from Malaysia, Thailand, Hongkong and USA. Some of them come in branded packaging, but most of them come in clear packaging.

I tried them on Gabby, and I was really glad that she was no longer having diaper rashes! Not to mention, they were really really cheap! A piece of small diaper was only 5 to 6 pesos, depending on brand. But that is already cloth-like, breathable, with aloe vera and hypoallergenic just like the branded ones in the market. These are also absorbent, I only uses 2 to 3 pieces of diapers a day on her, and also, goodbye leaks and sleepless nights.

I’ll be having a detailed review on each diaper that Gabby used in my succeeding blogs. J

Now I knew that a mother’s love should not always be expensive. 

BPI Pizza Hut, Taco Bel and Dairy Queen Promo - Extended!

Having bought a new netbook last July 16, 2012 using our BPI Credit Card, I am so overwhelmed that their PIZZA HUT, DAIRY QUEEN and TACO BELL promotion is extended until AUGUST 31 2012 and redemption is until OCTOBER 30, 2012! Yipee!

Simply use your BPI Credit cards to purchase anything! Charge slips should be in 2,000, 6,000 and 12,000 denominations, single receipts.

 

Just present your Original Charge Slip, together with your BPI Credit Card to redeem at any PIZZA HUT, DAIRY QUEEN and TACO BELL nationwide!

Important Notice:

All existing cardholders with good credit standing are qualified to join except for BPI Express Credit Corporate Classic and MasterCard cards.

Transactions with Charge Slips through the POS (Point-of-Sale) Terminal ar qualified, including Cash Advance transactions.

Not qualified transactions are: Online purchases, Mail and Telephone order purchases, Mobile Transfers and Auto-Charge Transactions.

Splitting of transactions are not allowed. In the case of dispute, the decision of BPI with the concurrence of DTI are considered final.

You may call 89-100 for any other concerns (dial 2 for bpi credit card and 0 for phonebanker) or visit www.bpiexpressonline.com – credit card promos.

My hubby's MBA journey @ UP...

Today is my loving husband’s second day of MBA Classes. I supported his dream to take part time MBA Classes in UP Diliman this year. This may mean less time for me and Gabby, I knew this step would make him complete his dreams not only for himself but also for us.

I remembered the time when he told me about his plans. At first I was hesitant, but as he explained the bigger return of this investment in the long run, I finally agreed. There are a lot of trade-offs --- but little sacrifices for today would mean a lot for our family in the near future.

He took the UP GPAT exam. He didn’t have any review or enrolled into one, just stock knowledge. The GPAT Exam was long, he left the house so early at 6am of February 5 and the exam was not through until around 12.30pm. It was an exam with quantitative analysis, reading comprehension (sorry, I forgot the other areas of the exam) and it was right minus ¼ wrong. You have the option to answer all the questions and take a wild guess or leave the questions blank if you do not know the answer because you won’t get the deductions for blank answers. The results were out last February 18 and he was scheduled for a Proficiency Exam. Some were scheduled for an interview. The difference is that, for those who passed and would take the interview, they should pass the interview again and will take the Proficiency Exam. For those who passed the proficiency exam, no need to go through the interview at all. Yahoo!

The Proficiency Exam consists of 5 areas – Algebra, Calculus, Math of Finance, Statistics and Accounting. This is free of charge for the applicant. You have to pass all of these areas for you to be admitted. Unfortunately, hubby just passed four areas and failed Accounting which is I guess acceptable for he has just basic accounting college background on this field.

There is a one time retake for this, and for him to be prepared for the retake (take note: this is the only chance we have, or else, hello next year again), he took the Accountancy Workshop. The fee for the workshop is 4,000 php, that is for the handouts and of course the instructor’s fee for the whole 30-hr session. For those who failed other areas, 1 thousand each for the workshop.

He enjoyed attending the said workshop. His workshift ends at 5pm and his workshops starts at 6pm to 9pm. Hands-off to his instructor because according to him, there is no dull moment in the class.

Come May 19  (a day before my birthday), he took the retake. And as we hoped and prayed, he passed the exam and fruitfully entered the University of the Philippines again. J

He has so many hopes and plans for us, and I believe this is the first step. By God’s grace and guidance, I know he can do it.

This is an insight from a proud wife. J

Hello Blogger!

Welcome to the Blogger’s world!

At last, I was able to find time to create this account. Well, I just hope I can maintain this as often as I wanted to. J

I am Cristina, Tina or Cris for short, whatever you prefer, I won’t mind. As my blogger name implies, I am a happy first time mother to Gabrielle Fatima, and of course not to mention a happy wife to Mico Lian too. I am a full time analyst to one of the oil companies, a part time entrepreneur and a full time wife and mother (during weekends only).

I love to travel. Before I got married, I was so lucky I was able to go to different places. I also would love to have my own travel agency because all of my travels are DIY! (do it yourself). I am so thrifty that’s why I wanted to do my travels on my own. I will try to pursue my love of travel after my baby girl turned one so she can always come along. J

I love to eat! I am very fond of buffets! I love treating my family to different restos for us to try and compare.

And of course, I love my family. I love my mom =, my dad, my husband and my very pretty daughter that looks like me.

You’ll get to know more about me and my family as I adhere to the journey of blogging! Aja!

My Family - Gabby, Mico, Tina