Zip it!

We arrived at around four in the afternoon and headed straight to Zip Line area. Ziplining is P100 per head for one way. We got the 2-way ticket at first but later on we discovered that after the first ride, we have to wait in another line for the next ride all over again so we decided to just get the refund for the remaining tickets. Well, if you go one way, you will have to walk back using the bridge, which wasn’t too bad a walk. You have to pay an additional P100 if you want your photos taken by the crew which we did.

There is quite a long line in the Zip Line maybe because it's a holiday. We snap some pictures while waiting for our turn which luckily happened 10 yrs after :p

MIL, FIL & BIL looked after Jared while we're waiting in line. Jared got so busy running around and climbing up and down on some some inclined part in the picnic grove. They got so tired running after the hyper toddler.
If you noticed the thing below his nose.. it's a wound he got from being so hyper. It happened last 23rd. Ok, I know it's my fault since I was not able to save him from getting hurt.. my bad.. :(

After long hours of waiting, we finally got to do it.. below are our happy faces after the ride :)

my 2 SIL

H & me

Christmas updates

We spent the Christmas holidays in Batangas with my H's family. We did not have the traditional Noche Buena since Dec. 25 is their town's fiesta so the people were more on the celebration of their fiesta rather than Christmas. So here are the things we got busy of..

We celebrated Christmas day with H's relatives on his mom's side and everyone had a lot of fun. Too bad I was not able to take pictures since I was busy running around after Jared. He's becoming more active when there are lots of people around him.

The next day we went strolling by the beach (Taal lake) which was just a few blocks away from where we're staying.

Jared enjoyed playing with the cute little pet chicks of H's cousins. He enjoyed it so much that when it's time to go he strongly refused and started crying.

In the afternoon, we went to Tagaytay to try the Zip Line. Ok, I will write about this on another post :)

Cibo

This is where we had dinner last 16th in Trinoma with Jared & H. This was not our first choice but since we were already hungry and most of the restos are full, we decided to try Cibo as it was the place with less people. It was our first time to dine there. Service was good and the food was served without much waiting. These are what we had..

Complimentary chips

Obviously Jared can't wait to get hold of it, but he did not eat it he then gave it to us.

Crema Di Zucca - Summer squash, cream, slab bacon

We always had to have soup since we have a "soup-baby" in tow and he liked it.

Pollo Arrosto Limone - Roast chicken, lemon, pepper, parsley pilaf This is just so-so for me and also for H. It was just a simple roasted chicken, nothing special..

Farfalle alla Genovese - Mushrooms, basil pesto, cream I love pesto but I didn't like this much, it was just ok

Ok, I know most of my comments about the food is not ok. With Cibo's prices, food must be really good so I kind of expected more or maybe we just ordered the wrong dishes..

Merry Christmas!

Have a great Holiday week ahead! :)

Discipline Without Shouting or Spanking

I bought a book recently which is all about how to discipline pre-school kids. The book has lots of topics and problems usually encountered by parents with preschool kids and gives most practical solutions on how to deal with such problem.

I have read some part of it and for me, it's a good book since I believe in a diplomatic kind of discipline (the one without shouting or spanking). But still I can't deny that there have been times that I shouted at my toddler.. and I want to change it. I just hope that I would always have the needed self control whenever my son will have his tantrums.

We're TWO years old!

19 months

Jared is now 19 months. Here are some updates :

... He knows almost a hundred single words (Hooray for Jared!). Oh yes, we counted and listed all the words he know.. talk about being overly obsessive hehe! But he's still having a hard time pronouncing the sounds of letters S, R, & L like when he says six, it’s “tik”, lola – “yoya”, racket - "waket"

... He loves soups – any kind of soups. He’s still not an expert on chewing. He mostly just swallows his food. How can I get him into the chewing thing?

... When he farts, he always says "utot" (I have to say it.. pardon me)

... Not too enthusiastic about brushing his teeth. I have to always come up with different strategies so that I can clean his teeth.

... He doesn't know his ABCs but can recognize some of the numbers. He can recognize the numbers from 0 to 8 but doesn’t know yet that it’s for counting. I’m trying to teach him the number 9 but he gets confused and thinks it is just the number 6.

... He's getting better at sorting shapes. He's able to fit in the shapes (circle, oval, flower, star, triangle, square & cross) into the right slots.

... Likes to play with the telephone. Takes up the receiver, put it at his ear, and talk like someone was really on the line. funny!

Happy 19 Months to our baby Jared! Mami & Papi love you! :)

New Playmate

My Tita Elena came to visit us this afternoon with his cutie grandson, Keenan. They arrived when Jared was having his afternoon nap but then woke up after a while or before Keenan got totally bored. Keenan brought some toys for Jared (how sweet!). It's so fun to just watch them play. Keenan, 2 years older than Jared, really talks a lot. I' suddenly got excited with the thought of Jared talking like that too. :)

For the whole day, they were so busy running around, it was impossible to snap good pictures. So I thought of letting them watch TV so I can take their pic. Here's the best one I managed to get..

Tita had a hard time convincing Keenan to leave. Whenever she would ask Keenan about it his reply would always be "mamaya na muna". Looked like he really enjoyed having Jared as his playmate and of course Jared enjoyed it too... a lot! I hope they'll come back soon. :)

COLDs Rush

Hubby and Jared both have colds. It was Jared that had it first just last week and good thing after a few days it was gone. Then H had it next then just yesterday Jared caught it again. I think he caught it from H who is getting well already. So the last night's sleep was not good for Jared. He woke up twice in the middle of the night because of stuffy nose. Haaay.. Is it because of the weather?

Enchanted Kingdom

We decided to go to EK after the baptism since we were already within the area. We just got the carousel special ticket since we really won't be able to ride as we have a toddler in tow. Went there with my sis Lyn, mom, H & Jared. It was Jared's first time to visit EK. Here are some pics.

waiting in line for the grand carousel

At first, Jared liked the ride but when the motion seemed to never stop he got scared

This is what he enjoyed most.. the tunnels in the PeTREEfied House

He also liked crossing the bridge

at the boulderville trains

Baby Vince's Christening

Went to Laguna yesterday to attend the Christening of Grace's son, Vincent. The ceremony was held at Don Bosco Church and reception followed at Sta. Rosa Heights Clubhouse. Baby Vince was always asleep in the reception. He just woke up in time for a diaper change. So I took the opportunity to take his pic while he's awake.

He loves posing for the camera.. don't you think?

After eating, we explored the rest of the place. It was so windy at that time and Jared liked it so much. He would literally shout for joy when the wind blows.

posing beside a tree.. lalang.. hehe!

Potty Training

We bought Jared a potty trainer when he turned 15 months. We started with training him to poop on his potty. Whenever we see him start doing it, we will immediately lead him to his potty and say "poopoo". We chose that word because it's easier to pronounce. I also informed everyone at home that we will be using only one term for it so he can get to familiarize with it faster.

And now he says "poopoo" whenever he feels like making a bowel movement. After that, we will bring him to his potty and let him do his thing. He will then stand up when he's done. He does not soil his diapers with poop anymore. I'm so happy! Now, we have to train him how to pee and aim at his potty and maybe how to remove his underpants. Good luck to us! :)

Maligayang Kaarawan

sa pinakagwapo, pinakamabait at pinakamamahal kong asawa!

pakiss nga! :p

UST visit

Went to UST yesterday to take Jared for a walk (and run). It was the only place I know nearby where Jared can play in the grass fields. I was hoping that there are some kids that he can interact with - and we're lucky there were a couple of toddlers too. Too bad it was already dark when we reached the place because of the slow traffic in Lacson St. But still Jared enjoyed running and playing in the soccer field. He kept on saying that the "U" in UST is letter "m" hehe! Well, he has a point since the U looks like m when turned upside down :p. And since he doesn't know the alphabet yet, he sees the letter S as "5". What a smart boy! hehe :)

ang mga palaboy sa ust

family pic

Gumbo

While Jared and I were waiting in the activity center of The Block for hubby, we passed by this restaurant and a waitress approached me that they have a promo. They'll give free buffalo wings if we have a food purchase worth 300. And since I'm a sucker for freebies, I asked H if he would like to try that resto and he agreed. The place has a nice ambience. The waiters are decked in festive New Orleans mask and every so often they will scream "Jamba... laya".

We ordered the Chicken Gumbo, carbonara, All-meat extravaganza pizza and got the free petite buffalo wings. There is also a complimentary bread with oil and garlic dip. The buffalo wings is so-so for me, just don't like its sauce. We had the carbonara for Jared but unfortunately he did not like it but when I put on some gumbo sauce into his pasta he loved it. For me, the pasta and pizza were both good. I would love to have another visit soon and try the others on the menu hopefully with a group since their meals are mostly good for sharing.

Sunday at The Block

Went to The Block at SM North with the primary reason of claiming my Huggies free toy. It was the last day of the promo so I took the chance of availing it. When I got there, the attendant told me that they will just contact me when my preferred toy is already available. In short, we did not get the toy.. so sad :(

But then, we went strolling around and passed by the activity center wherein there was a Doraemon event but had just already ended so Jared just played with the left-over decors of the place and he enjoyed it. He even got to take home some balloons hehe!

running away with his loots :p

Nice week

kulitan photo before having dinner

This week has been very enjoyable for me since I got to spend all my time with Jared. I loved it

even if it's more tiring than my usual days since I have additonal work and that is to attend to Jared's needs all the time. Still looking for a new nanny for Jared though. Good thing my work is flexible because my mom is my boss :p We really had a nice mother & son bonding :)

Anyway, we went back to my in-laws' house yesterday and then went to the mall in the afternoon with my 2 sis-in-law, hubby and of course Jared. We bought some things for Jared and Mei treated us for dinner at Gerry's even if there's no occasion. Such a nice and generous sister hehe! thanks ha! next time ulit! :) I only do things like that if it's my birthday and it rarely happens pa hehe! kuripot talaga!

Happy Feet

Yesterday, my hubby arrived home (we're here at my mom's place) earlier. Then we thought of having foot spa since mom has a bubble foot spa machine. Hubby had his turn first. I was the one who gave him the foot spa. Yeah, the things you do for love hehe!

hubby's feet look like they're enjoying the spa

Jared kept on joining while hubby was having his spa, so we just let him have his turn after.. and look at the smile on his face :)

looks like one happy and satisfied client! hehe!

And after that hubby was so lazy to give me foot spa in return.. argghh! I really hate him! I think I should have asked Jared instead hehe!

And speaking of foot spa, I'll leave you with the procedure on how to have a relaxing foot spa at home. :)

1. Soak your feet in warm water for at least 15 minutes. We used the electric bubble foot spa machine for this. If you don't have it you can use a bowl or dish that your feet will fit into. And then add some foot soak into the water to help your feet relax more.
2. Exfoliate your skin, concentrating on the calluses. This is the time you really want to concentrate on. Use a damp pumice stone or foot file to scrub down your entire foot. Using a foot scrub makes blasting away dead skin easier. Rub the foot scrub on your feet to get a basic exfoliation all over and then scrub over your calluses with the foot file. When you are done scrubbing, rinse and dry your feet.
3. Moisturize. You can use your favorite moisturizer or get something specifically for your feet.

Sizzling Pepper Steak

We decided to try the Sizzling Pepper Steak as I've read good reviews about this resto. We ordered Beef Pepper Rice and Saikoro Pepper Rice. These pepper rice meals are served on hot plates where the meat is just slightly cooked. You have to finish cooking it yourself before you can eat. Then you mix it all together with the rice and sauce. We both enjoyed our dinner except for Jared. He threw up on his first taste of the pepper rice. My bad! I forgot that he's not used to the taste of pepper. So after that, we went to Jollibee so that Jared can eat. We ordered spaghetti and sundae for him. He liked the spaghetti and kept saying "apetti" for spaghetti hehe! And ofcourse, we did not let him eat up all the sundae, he just had a few :)

Playtime at Landmark

It's been a long time since I last posted on my blog. This day is the start of the "no-yay-day". Jared's nanny went home yesterday for good. We have to find a new yaya asap! I just had this opportunity today to go online since Jared is having his nap.. ok enough of that :)

Last Saturday, we decided to go to Trinoma since we don't have anything else to do and so that Jared can stroll and play with other kids. After some visit to different shops, we decided to go to the toy store at Landmark where there is a small play area for kids. The area has lots of TV sets, rubber mats on the floor and toys all over. Hubby and Jared went there while I shop for some clothes for Jared.
Well, he did really enjoy his time on that place. He also found a new friend, whom he influenced to also remove the rubber mats and play with it hehe! Anyway, looks like they really had a great time. After that, went to Sizzling Pepper steak for dinner. Ok, this will be another post. :)

First Hair Cut

Jared had his first hair cut last Sunday. We want him to enjoy this milestone so I searched for a salon that really caters to his age and so we chose Cuts 4 Tots. This kiddie salon doesn't really look like a salon since it has lots of toys, colorful interiors, TV sets, and books. The children who have their haircut will be seated in car chairs just like the ones in kiddie rides. Each station has a TV set so that it will get the attention of the child getting a haircut.

We let Jared play first in the play area so he can get to familiarize with the place. And before the official hair cut, we let Tintin cut Jared's hair first as per the tradition which I have just heard lately. They say that we have to carefully choose the person who will have to cut your child's hair for the first time because the child will inherit some characteristics from that person. And I followed it! haha! She's my sister and she's really good in school, she may graduate as cumlaude. :) So I hope Jared will get that trait of her. hehe!

Good thing, Jared became occupied with the TV and the toys, the cutter didn't have a hard time cutting Jared's hair. But when Jared became comfortable with the cutter, he started playing "bulaga" (peekaboo) with him so it took some time for him to finish the cutting. But I must say he is really good with makukulit kids.


And now, presenting the new Jared.. tadaah! (with sound effects ah!)

Banana Leaf

Had a nice lunch at Banana Leaf (SM The Block branch) last Sunday courtesy of my sister, Arlene. It's an advanced celebration of her birthday on the 17th. Belated Happy Birthday sis! :)

Arlene suggested this place as she says that food here was good and it serves Southeast Asian cuisine. For appetizer, we had the Roti Canai which looks like a flattened bread and tasted like a soft lumpia wrapper. Maybe we made a mistake when we chose the condensed milk as dip instead of the curry sauce. We also had the Beef Brisket for soup which Jared really liked. Jared is becoming a soup person lately. Others that we had are the prawns singapore which is okay, fish fillet which I liked most, the noodles which name I forgot, the Thai green curry chicken which Ryan really liked, and the penang fried rice. I also liked the bottomless dalandan juice which they claim that its fresh juice and I think that it is. All in all, we really enjoyed the sumptuous lunch. Thanks to sis Arlene :)

The Birthday girl & the boyfie :)

Girls' Night Out

This is a long overdue post about my date with my girlfriends, Cel & Sands last Thursday because I have to wait for Sands to send the picture above :) So here we go.. I met up with Cel first and we had some salad dinner at Kenny. Then Sands came and off we went to the restaurant area of Trinoma. We went to Gerry's first because we want to have the beer tower but the place was so full so we just settled for Giligan’s. We had 3 rounds of beer c/o Cel and yummy pulutan c/o Sands. Well, this is a post celebration of Sand's birthday and also a celebration of Cel's new career. I really love these generous girls! :) Oh I forgot to mention that this is my first time to drink beer after a long hibernation when I got pregnant and all. So after 1 or 2 bottles I already felt slightly drunk. haha! kulang na sa practice e :)

18 months

Jared is now a year and a half! Let me try to recall some of his new developments...

• His speech is getting better. He keeps on repeating after people so we really have to be careful to what we say. But he still has those "alien talks" - words we could not decipher.
• He's more expressive in his feelings (joy and sorrow) and lets not forget his tantrums too.
• He has already got rid of his habit of thumbsucking. It started when Ryan did a heart-to-heart talk with Jared :) He explained the disadvantages of thumbsucking and Jared seemed to listen. Well, that's really good news! But the bad news is he had figured out a way to continue his habit without disobeying his parents. He replaced that habit with the "remaining-four-fingers-sucking". Oh my! I believe this is all Ryan's fault since he only explained thumbsucking and did not mention his other fingers. :p Anyways, Jared rarely does it so not a problem at all.
• He can now identify some parts of the body. "ay" for eyes, "no" for nose, "maw" for mouth, "ear" for ears, neck, "tin" for chin, "ampi" for armpit, "ebow" for elbow, "pit" for feet.
• He loves reading books and also loves to be read to.
• He is still afraid of elevators (ok, there is no development here :) )
• He started to phase out one of his naps. It's now either in the late morning or the early afternoon but usually it's the latter.
• He's getting better drinking from a straw. His favorite drink is yakult and he drinks or sips it as fast as a lightning! hehe!

There are more new developments but I cannot recall anymore at this time, so I'll have to save them for another time. So there, that's Jared at 18 months. :)

Baby Einstein - worth it or not?

Jared has been fond of the Baby Einstein videos lately. His favorite is the Numbers Nursery and he can now identify the numbers from 1 to 5. We let him watch one almost every morning believing that it would really help him expand his vocabulary. But after some research, I thought maybe we're wrong...

I've read from the internet that for every hour a day that babies 8 to 16 months old were shown such popular series as “Brainy Baby” or “Baby Einstein,” they knew six to eight fewer words than other children. Ok, I got worried about this but I don't exactly believe it.

Moreover, there was also a study which showed that educational movies influence negatively on the infants (8-16 months) language skills development and it influence neither positively nor negatively on children from 18 to 24 months.

Well, I knew way before that watching TV is not recommended for children under age 2 but I think it's unrealistic or just impossible to do since everyone at home watches TV. I think that what we should do is just guide and accompany our toddlers whenever they watch TV and also limit their viewing time.

So now I decided not to show these videos to Jared until he turns two. For me, reading and conversation are still the best language learning tools.