Prayer Is Powerful But...

"Birth control is not one-size-fits-all. Find the method that fits and may be right for you." I've read that somewhere sometime ago. So true. And I agree. A method that's working perfectly for one woman may not work for the next. Unfortunately, I have not found the method that's best for me. As of this moment, I don't use any method at all. Elmer and I do exactly what my friend Golden and her husband do. We "pray".

Lemme just share a funny story about this "praying" thingy. 

Golden and her very preggy friend Kharen and I (and maybe some others on that table that I just cannot remember) were having lunch at the pantry when our conversation interestingly segued to a topic about contraceptives and birth control methods. Share-share of methods used. I shared my method which is none. Golden's answer was really funny. It cracked me up.

I Heart Guimba

Guimba is a humble town located in the province of Nueva Ecija.

Guimba is a 1st class municipality in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 96,116 people in 19,207 households. It was incorporated by the King of Spain by virtue of a royal decree in 1897. Source

Note that "1st class". Shala ha! ^_^ Let me also just say, it has 64 barangays. Oh yeah, that many.

People's primary means of living is farming. Thus the photo above.

Last time I set foot in Guimba was on my sisterful's birthday in December. Just for a li'l background, I was born and raised and spent 16+ years of my life in Guimba, Nueva Ecija until I moved to college and eventually found work here in Baguio after a short stint in Manila.

I revisited my beloved hometown on Wednesday because Calli's one week vacation was over. I had to bring her back here to Baguio. Elmer was wondering why I had to let Calli go down to Guimba for five days only and when I knew for a fact that the heat and humidity in lowlands these days were beyond imaginable. That made me think. I guess, I just needed a reason to be there even only for two days.

You know, despite Baguio's cool weather, I still miss Guimba's heat at times. And more than anything else, my (crazy) family and relatives are in Guimba. I love to see them once in a while and be crazy with my Muder and siblings.

My family now lives here in Baguio. Elmer and I have jobs here in Baguio. Nikki goes to school here in Baguio. I now have to accept the reality that Guimba is vacation, Baguio is life. *Sighs*

Image Source

Ciao! ♥
  

Home Alone

Nikki is in Pangasinan. Calli is in Nueva Ecija. Buti pa ang mga bagets, naka-bakasyon. 

Elmer and I are home alone. 

My work starts very early in the morning. Elmer's starts very late in the afternoon. Super baliktad ang schedule namin.

Even my landlady noticed, "Anlungkot ng bahay mo, wala ang mga bata."

Elmer eats breakfast alone. We eat lunch together. No one eats dinner. And we're not eating decent meals anymore since Calli left. 

Natawa naman ako kay Elmer kani-kanina lang while we're having eggs and hotdogs for lunch.

Elmer: Walang saysay ang buhay kung wala ang mga anak ko dito sa bahay.

Me: Saysay talaga? Drama lang!

Elmer: Awan gamen agbang-bangad ditoy. Makapa-miss met. (Wala kasing nangungulit-ngulit dito. Nakaka-miss din.)

By the way, Elmer is an FBI, Full-Blooded Ilocano. Nagtangken nga unay! ^_^

I miss Nikki and Calli, and sure does Elmer too!

Ciao! ♥

  

Let's Get Lost: Summer Capital of the Philippines, Baguio City

So I've already mentioned here that I played as a tour guide to my sisterful Vian and her seaman boyfriend, Jerico, from Romblon who just got off a ship. I asked him if people from Romblon or from the south for that matter, really have that eagerness like he had to set foot here in Baguio City. He answered yes, in a way how people from the north would die to visit Boracay.

In the twelve years so far that I've stayed here in Baguio City, there are still places I've never been to, foods that I've never tasted and things that I've never tried here in Baguio City. That's why I was excited to be their tour guide, so I could revisit some tourist spots here. Another thing that made me want to do this was because Calli was going with us. The two years and nine months that Calli has been living here in Baguio City, she has never been to any of the places we visited that day. So that day turned out like another bonding day for Calli and me.

Warning: This is a picture-heavy post. Enjoy! ^_^

Burnham Park Is The Place To Be

When I was in college, I always found Burnham Park so sleazy, and the family picnics and the boating and the dating so cheesy. I really didn't get people who do that...in Burnham Park.

Just a li'l FYI thingy -- Burnham Park is centered around a man-made lake located at the heart of Baguio City. It was named after the city's planner, Daniel Burnham. The park is a favorite place of local residents and visitors alike. There are different facilities for recreation and relaxation that are available in the park. You can row a boat, have a picnic, attend an outdoor concert, watch a football game, go biking, or just take a leisurely stroll around the park.

When I became a mom of two, I started to look at things differently, in a positive way. I appreciate nature more - the pine trees, mountains, flowers, etc. - and a lot more other things that I look at differently now, plus, I now understand why families do such things in Burnham Park that I before thought as cheesy. Because Burnham Park is for everyone.

When Calli and I had an accidental bonding moment last week in Burnham Park, I had the chance to observe people from different walks of life doing their own thing in the park.

Praktis kung praktis si kuya.

How Do I Love Thee?

Every time my sickness gets validated by my company clinic, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to feel. Am I happy because I have extra days to rest? Am I sad because I am actually sick?

Yesterday, I played as my sisterful and her boyfriend's tour guide. The boyfriend hails from a far city in Romblon. That explains his fascination over Baguio City. Okay, I will not talk about him here. I'll make a separate post about him and our city tour. 

Going back. Yesterday was a very hot and exhausting day. When it was almost evening, I already started feeling a headache. I was so tired and already not feeling well. I just had to wash Calli and put  her in her peej. Then after a tablet of paracetamol, there was my zero-energy body on the bed with Calli.

When I woke up this morning, I felt energized again. I thought I was feeling better until I started sneezing and coughing like there's no tomorrow. The sneezing and coughing almost stopped until I could hardly breathe already. That's what happened all day which worsened earlier this evening. I ignored it because it was just Calli and me in the house. Elmer went to work. My sisterful and her boyfriend went out to the mall to do some shopping. I cannot not feel well whenever my daughters and I are alone in the house. Plus, I have work at 2AM tomorrow (or shall I say later because it's already 11:50PM). 

But when my sisterful and her boyfriend arrived earlier at almost 9PM, breathing became more difficult. Good thing I was able to put Calli to sleep early tonight because she didn't have her afternoon siesta. I was thinking. Oh my G! This can't be happening. I'm having asthma attack again. Whenever I'm having an attack, I cry. I don't know why but I can't help crying every single time. I felt like I was dying. That's how I feel every time I'm having asthma attacks. 

No Kidding: Rhys, A Smart Kuya

Serious Facts About This Überly Adorable Kid

Complete Name: Rhys Callum Pedro ♂
Nickname: Rhys
Birthday: December 25, 2008
Proud Momma: Cynthia Torres
Proud Daddy: Rudy Pedro
Favorite Food: Soups especially corn soup
Favorite Game/s: Hide-and-Seek; Kiddie games on his iPad like phonetics and animal naming games

Rhys is my Tito Rudy's (my Muder's youngest sibling who now resides in London) first child. Ergo, Rhys is my first cousin. Yeah, there's a huge difference between our ages. But let's not talk about that. Rhys also has an equally adorable younger brother Rahl whom I will also feature here soon. Let's also not talk about Rahl in the mean time. (Rahl, you'll have your moment soon, buddy.)

Rhys was supposed to come out on December 13, 2008 but he must be enjoying the warmth of his mummy's tummy still that he decided to come out two weeks later on a cold Christmas winter night.

When he was only about a year old, his daddy showed me some videos of him already - wait for it - reading. At that age. Wow! Kamag-anak nga kita, Rhys! ^_^

"We started showing him a series of DVDs called "Your Baby Can Read", which was sent to him by his Tita Ninang from Canada, when he was about 4 months old. Before he turned 1, he could already identify words and actions (from the DVDs). At the age of 3, he could already count from 1 up to 100, identify different shapes including isosceles triangle and name all colours", said Tito Rudy.  

I can tell based on his daddy and mummy's stories about him that he is such one active kid. He loves to play hide-and-seek. His favourite part is counting from 1 to 10 then saying "Ready or not, here I come!" in all perfect British accent. Oh how I love that accent! That's why I so love watching Charlie and Harry's YouTube video called "Charlie bit my finger - again!" I have a huge share of views of that video. ^_^

He is also super addicted to "Cars" and "Thomas And Friends". In fact, he has collected all character toys and can name all of them.

"He also likes playing puzzles and watching Mother Goose nursery. We're not showing him any violent movies or cartoons. He adopts very quickly on what he sees or hears. He is now going on nursery and he is showing off at school. Teachers are actually amazed when he reads a book in the classroom!"

This young fella has already been to a couple of countries like Canada, France, the Netherlands, the USA but never the Philippines yet. Yeah, I have yet to see him in person. I can't help but wonder, if this kid looks so handsomely adorable on photos, how much more in person? His red rosy cheeks and perfectly handsome smile just make me wanna kiss him all over his face. And the way he dresses like a li'l young man, that sure tells who his daddy is.

"I'm sure he will be so excited when he visits the Philippines for the first time! He can play as much as he wants with his nieces Calli and Nikki and his cousins!"

Yes, he's my Nikki and Calli's Tito Rhys although he's much younger than Nikki. ^_^

Wanna see more of Rhys? Subscribe to his daddy's YouTube channel rprojectww.

If you would like me to feature your kid in No Kidding, submit his/her photo and some info about him/her like Complete Name, Nickname, Birthday, Parents' Names, Favorite Food, Favorite Game, Distinct Characteristic/s, etc. to my email address cpcarbonell [at] yahoo [dot] com with subject "No Kidding", or kahit wala ng subject, keri na. ^_^

Ciao! ♥

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“The best predictor of a child’s success is a parent doing everything in his or her power to help that child succeed.”
~ Margie Gillies

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An Accidental Bonding Moment

Our yaya had requested long time ago to have a quick vacation in April because she's attending her cousin's wedding. She already left for her 2-day vacation yesterday. Calli and I had to bring her to the terminal of transport vans going to Cabanatuan City.

Calli: Ba-bye Ate Lyn. Mahal-mahal kita. 

Aaaw, Calli's so sweet talaga. 

I already had planned to take a cab and drop by SM Supermarket for a quick grocery shopping after that. Because the van terminal is just right beside Burnham Park, instead of taking a cab right there from the terminal, I decided that Calli and I take a walk through Burnham Park and take a cab from the southern side of Burnham Park on Lake Drive. I thought that was already quite a long walk for both Calli and me. 

I was surprised how Calli enjoyed running outdoors. She ran and ran...and ran all over until she got tired of running. Well, actually, she didn't get tired. I had to make her stop because we already had to leave for the supermarket.

Look at these photos of her at Burnham Park. 

Taste Buds At Work: Army Navy's Bully Boy Burger And Chicken Burrito

Remember this post from couple of days ago? During times like this, I always exploit Elmer's hazy thinking and decision-making. ^_^ So before going home, I asked him first for us to grab a bite. And since we were already in Session Road and had been longing to dine at Army Navy Session Road, we chose Army Navy to dine at. By the way, Army Navy branch in Session Road was only put up earlier this year. The one in Camp John Hay has been there for a long time already, I guess. But I have yet to try dining at Army Navy Camp John Hay.

Now in Session Road

The place was of course, clean because it's new and gave a different ambiance from other restaurants and food shops.

A Good Way To Start My Day

...or maybe not.

I was feeling so much guilt about me not doing any thing productive yesterday. So I've decided to start my day right today. I told my self I was gonna start it with jogging. So kagabi pa lang, kinausap ko na si Elmer na magjo-jogging kami bukas, which is today. Then mamamalengke kami after. The original plan was to leave the house at mga 4AM pero may dumating kaming bisita at 3:30AM. Yes that early. His Tita Sol from Batangas. So chika chika muna and everything. To cut this long story short, we weren't able to leave the house until 6AM. Maliwanag na. Conshus pa naman ako tumakbo 'pag maliwanag na. Arte lang!

How often do I jog? Regularly. Yeah right, mga once a year. ^_^ This is another thing that I feel guilty about. I do not jog or even exercise often. But that's another story to tell.

Going back. So Elmer and I started jogging from 118 Liwanag Subd to our destination which was Burnham Park like we originally planned. When we were already in EPZA, Elmer said, "Mahal, jogging ito, hindi alay-lakad." Haha. Okay fine. He already started jogging. Ambilis niya. Hanlalaki kasi ng hakbang niya e. Until I couldn't have a sight of him anymore. You know here in Baguio, every after a couple of meters, there's a curve. Hanggang hindi ko na talaga siya ma-sight. 

Loakan Road to me is a perfect route to take when jogging, sans the vehicles passing. Hundreds of vehicles passing. Jeepney, cars, buses. There are parts pa naman na "nauubos" ang sidewalk. So gilid gilid lang dapat. Mahirap na.

When I reached Scout Barrio, I found Elmer already waiting for me sa waiting shed. Nagmemeryenda na ang loko! Nagutom na daw kakahintay sa akin. Antagal ko daw. 

Elmer: Nag-jogging ka ba o naglakad?

Me: Nag-jogging. Pero andami kasing sasakyan e.

Elmer: Madami pala. Sumakay ka na sana.

Deadma na lang. Bakit ako sasakay?! Heller! Wala kaya ako dalang pera. Nasa kanya kaya! ^_^

No Kidding: Uno, A Heartbreaker in the Making

Isn't he the cutest?
On Uno, Polo: Osh Kosh B'Gosh, Shorts: Little Ones, Shoes: Vans

Serious Facts About This Überly Adorable Kid

Complete Name: Uno Orejudos ♂
Nickname: Uno
Birthday: May 12, 2010
Proud Momma: Apol Ignacio
Proud Daddy: Clyde Orejudos
Favorite Food: Cream-O Crinkles
Favorite Game: Nothing in particular, but he loves running around and playing with his toy cars and trucks by himself.

When he was born, my other friends and I were asking Apol what her baby's name was. She said, "Uno". We were like, "Uno what?". She was like, "Uno Orejudos". Uno daw because he's their first born. It is indeed a very short, simple name, yet I find it super uniquely astig!

My other friends and I notice that as Uno grows bigger, he's becoming more and more gwapo...and macho. I'm pretty sure a lot of girls will fall for Uno when he's grown up. He's one active and energetic boy.

Apol describes his only son like this --

"Uno can be impatient sometimes but he is independent, as much as possible he wouldn't ask for help unless he can't do it by himself. As early  as now I can see his love for the Arts (which he got from me hehe) but at the same time he's a critical thinker because he likes to observe how things work (he got that from his Dad!) He is also very sweet on the other hand, he loves being hugged and kissed. He likes watching TV commercials more than the show itself. Uno is the greatest thing that ever happened to me and his dad and I love him very much.

Uno's sense of style is all about comfort. He is a very active child so his clothes should allow him to move very freely, but it does not sacrifice style. I make sure that the clothes he wears are maporma. My inspiration for his style is Gwen Stefani's children. "

Check out Uno's adventures and more cute photos of him at HappyNess and be charmed by him.

If you would like me to feature your kid in No Kidding, submit his/her photo and some info about him/her like Complete Name, Nickname, Birthday, Parents' Names, Favorite Food, Favorite Game, Distinct Characteristic/s, etc. to my email address cpcarbonell [at] yahoo [dot] com with subject "No Kidding", or kahit wala ng subject, keri na. ^_^

  
Ciao! ♥

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While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about. ~Angela Schwindt

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Elmer's Timberland Boots + His Jumping On The Bandwagon

On Tuesday, Elmer was feeling so much happiness. His shoe collection has been added with another pair of Timberland boots. His Ate Pla gave it to him as a gift which she sent through a friend. That's in fact what made him extraordinarily happy. He has a new pair and he didn't have to pay for it. I don't get his fascination over shoes especially Nike and Timberland. I really don't get it. I think it's a man thing. 

His old pair

 

Taste Buds At Work: Mogu Mogu Fruit Juice

Mogu Mogu is a Japanese term that means "to chew" but this product originally came from Thailand. I know, I know. Mogu Mogu has been here in the Philippines since about two years ago. This perhaps is just another post about this fruit juice health drink with real nata de coco. Pardon me. I have never heard about this product until a couple of months ago I guess, and never seen and tasted the real thing until today. Finally, I have met Mogu Mogu. Why did I not hear about it then? Where was I? What was wrong with me? As I researched more on this product, I found out that there was even a craze over this when it first arrived here in the Philippines. 

My Far-From-Devilish Deviled Eggs

This is what Calli's Easter eggs ended up like. 

I checked out a couple of recipes online. I'm not really a fan of following recipe instructions. Wow! expert lang?! Because even if I followed them to a tee, sometimes palpak pa din. But I'm left with no choice. 

For these deviled eggs, I used my instinct on the measurements. Uy, me ganun?! Basta swak na sa panlasa, keri na.

Here's my version of deviled eggs.

What I used:

4 Eggs, boiled

3-4 tbsp mayonnaise

Onion, minced

Prepared mustard

Paprika

Salt

Pepper

Here's how to do these.

A Happy Artster Sunday

It felt like it was just an ordinary day for our family yesterday. Elmer and I had work. But I tried to make it a li'l special for Calli. In the morning, Elmer did some quick grocery shopping. I specifically instructed him to buy eggs and water color. Calli and I were making Easter eggs! He bought a dozen eggs and water color. Even if he still had to work in the afternoon, he still went on a quick grocery shopping in the morning because I said I needed those. I told him that I was gonna blog about the Easter eggs that Calli and I were gonna make. Before, he would give me a face whenever I talked about my blog, this blog. I thanked him for being obedient. I think he's now getting my blogging. Okay, that's another story.

On a different note, I have always wondered why eggs are so famous during Easter? They even have to be hunted, yes? And there's the bunny and the painting of the eggs to name a few more. I didn't bother finding out until last week.

According to my source, Easter is a Christian festival. For Christians the custom of giving eggs at Easter celebrates new life. And legend has it that the Saxon goddess Eostre found a wounded bird and transformed it into a hare, so that it could survive the Winter. The hare found it could lay eggs, so it decorated these each Spring and left them as offering to the goddess. Howkei.

Going back. We used water color because it was cheaper than any of our other options. Check out how it went and Calli's mess-terpiece!

Follow Me Puh-leeez?

I've now joined BlogLovin'. Follow me, yes? Simply click on the link below.  

Follow Momma Mina! with BlogLovin'

Thank you so much! ^_^

Ciao! ♥

 

Happy Easter

I found these photos online and hameyzing not to share. Happy Easter everyone!!!

10,000 eggs. Handami!

Huli ka!

Han-kyu-kyut!

I wonder if these chicks were hatched from Easter eggs. Whatcha think?

Okay, so they're not after the eggs.

Aha! Nandiyan ka pala. Hinahanap ka nila sa taas.

Image Source

Ciao! ♥

 

No Kidding

Because I am serious! ^_^

But before anything else, I would like to, this time, publicly express how thankful I am to Apol for inspiring me to make my blog public and be more creative. Check out and support her blog, HappyNess, at eypolapol.tumblr.com.

I was going through some other blogs (and I still am), and got some ideas what topics to write on a regular basis to broaden a blog's reader target and add interest to it. Now I am getting why Apol writes about chic moms, and another blog that I stumbled upon whose owner writes about fashionista kids.

No Kidding!

So I'm coming up with No Kidding...because, like I said, I am freakin' serious. No Kidding will, once a week, feature a seriously adorable, cute kid with li'l bit of serious info about him/her. Who knows, your kid might be next!

If you would like me to feature your kid in No Kidding, submit his/her photo and some info about him/her like Complete Name, Nickname, Birthday, Parents' Names, Favorite Food, Favorite Game, Distinct Characteristic/s, etc. to my email address cpcarbonell [at] yahoo [dot] com with subject "No Kidding", or kahit wala ng subject, keri na. ^_^

I'm excited!

Image Source

Ciao! ♥

  

The Mimicker

So. I've written here about how we spent our Maundy Thursday.  We went malling. We tired ourselves going up and down all the floors via the escalator. We did mostly window shopping and a li'l shopping on the side.

I like taking photos of legs on escalators of whoever is in front of me.

Nung una, normal lang.

Normal pa lang din.

Lyn: "Ate, ginagaya ni Calli si Kuya."

And again.

Calli does this funny thing of mimicking other people's gestures, actions, words, expressions, etc. I already noticed this Calli's escalator thing way before when we were together at the mall. It made me laugh but I didn't have my camera with me then.

Check out the 9th to 12th photos from the top here. That's again the mimicking kid.

Haaay Calli! You make me crazy and laugh and happy. I love you! ^_^

Ciao! ♥

 

Calli And Barney And Friends

Who is that purple and green Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur singing along with neighborhood friends? Kids can answer that question with no sweat. Barney! 

Barney who? Doesn't ring a bell to me. If you're a mom and that's how you roll, then I'd say you're an alien. You must be from Mars. Who doesn't know Barney and the gang? Baby Bop, BJ, and Riff? 

At an age of a li'l less than two years old, Calli already met and knew Barney. I would let her watch videos of him on YouTube. She liked him, but I can't say she loved her already. I can still remember how Nikki, when she was about that same age, would spend the whole morning watching her entire collection of Barney DVDs over and over. That, I'd say, was love. But that's another story to tell.

Passe' Maundy Thursday

For my family no more.

  

But I have to say, I am a Catholic. I was born and raised in a Catholic family. I grew up in our barrio where senakulo or pabasa occurred (and still does) every Holy Week. I studied for eleven years in a Catholic school. I studied for four years in a Catholic university where I had taken religion classes. But  I guess those were not enough and as I got older and  mature, this is what I realized: I am not religious at all. At ayoko ipilit. Plastikada lang?! Fortunately (maybe unfortunately), Elmer and I share the same attitude towards religion. Our family does not go to church every Sunday, next to not at all. Oh no, I'm not proud. Just saying. I have to partly credit that to the nature of Elmer's job and mine. Well, that's another story to tell.

Every Holy Week, we still eat meat just like how we do mostly on regular days. This is how we spent our Maundy Thursday.

Big Daddy

Sister Love

"Sisters function as safety nets in a chaotic world simply by being there for each other."  ~ Carol Saline

Big sister-in-training Nikki

"A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit,

a golden thread to the meaning of life."

~ Isadora James

Sisters sharing a bowl of pancit canton

"A sister shares childhood memories and grown-up dreams."
~ Unknown

Let's Move: Forward And Up

My dear friend Golden shared to me this video clip - sewn-together video clips of a man walking towards the camera in different locations that he had been in. Like what Golden told me about this video clip, it really is very inspiring! 

"Get up and work your fat @$$ off!" To me, that's like what the video clip wants to tell the person viewing it, but in a so much more moderate and creative manner. Yes, we really have to keep moving towards a goal, and keeping on the move will bring us to different places, literally and figuratively.

Watch the video. Feel it and enjoy! 

Ciao! ♥ 

My Project 365+1: March Update

March was over. Whew, that was fast. And that only means one thing. Ano pa nga ba, e di April 1 na. ^_^

But before I continue on with anything, let's have a little recap here.

And now, I have 31 more photos for My Project 365+1.

My Project 365+1: March