Happy holidays to one and all!
Each year, the family tries to uphold certain Christmas traditions which makes it a much-looked forward to occasion among the kids. In the past, we’ve either spent it in a hotel or out of town. This year being meaningful enough, we’ve chosen to spend it at home. Meaningful because it’s the first Christmas I’d spend with Mr. Z (since knowing each other in 2007) and it’s his first time as well with the kids. We certainly left no stone unturned in loading the house with gifts, food and laughter.
I started Christmas Eve on a high note, with a list of dishes for the noche buena. The only problem was my energy would taper off later in the day. Still, I was glad to finish my main course beef dish (tender-cooked beef mechado, simmered for four hours or so), the mac and cheese, and favorite chicken-potato fruit salad. The rest of the feast was store-bought, like the cookies and cream cake from Red Ribbon, the CDO whole cooked ham, the dinner rolls and some sweets from Dunkin’ Donuts.As they say, don’t sweat the small stuff, even during Christmas 
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Soon to be Mrs. Z
I remember the time when love failed me
and to be reminded of the present
where I have someone who’ll think about me and my family
more than he’ll think about himself.
It is a nice wonderful feeling
to experience that just when you think you’ll grow old
struggling with your seeming emptiness
someone will come along
loving you for who, and what, you are.. warts, wrinkles and all
My son Paolo
My son Paolo does not want to have his picture taken with a camera. I’ve long given up on the thought that he will ever become a blogger, or a movie star I simply wanted to have a few shots of him in his new Threadless tee. It’s the perfect shirt for uber-picky eaters like him. And I like Threadless designs so much. The Boyfriend is a big fan, and so is this local retail store which I’ve seen lifting off a few Threadless graphics/slogans.
I still have to wear one 
A ’show of hearts’ and how online shopping made our Valentine’s Day
Sweet Little Miss Wifely Steps has an ongoing blog carnival entitled “Show of Hearts” where readers and friends are invited to post anything heart-related.
My entry of course has something to do with the just-concluded V-day. The bf was by his usual thoughtful self and made it in time for our Valentine celebration across time zones. Thanks to the magic of online shopping; never really gave this thing a thought, until My Sweet told me to check out a few Filipino-owned sites and how their prices compared against each other. He finally settles for makulay.com because their items were reasonable, and of course they were able to actually deliver the items to my doorstep!
The heart-shaped strawberry buttercream cake from Goldilock’s was a revelation. Never really tasted this cake before and we loved it… the mild strawberry flavor blending well with the creamy center.
Hmm, I wonder why the bouquet of flowers I got didn’t contain a single rose, but I was certainly glad to find a number of edible roses on the icing of the cake! 
Happy Halloween!
The twins play angel and fairy in Nickelodeon’s “Mischief Madness.”
Love from my little Picasso
When a casting agent gave his business card to my son (handsome daw), the little tot wasn’t at all enthusiastic. Knowing him, he’s not really the type who’d feel comfortable facing the cameras. What he feels a close affinity with is the computer, like most members of his generation. And he’s got a number of files on Microsoft Paint to show for it…like this one.
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Growing up fast
And so I’ve found out that one of the hardest things about parenthood is dealing with ‘teeth troubles.’ Dionne has lost two of her front choppers, Dianne has one waiting to be plucked and Paolo still has to grow out a couple of his baby teeth.
And I realized while looking at them at play yesterday that they are indeed growing up fast! While most people would tell me “you have so many kids!,” I do think three is just right I’d be hard put fussing over just one kid but with three, I can always let them scamper around knowing that one will always look after the other.
And even though I know something will always be missing in my life, I know that with them around, my life will always be complete.
Meeting The Banana, at last
I take off from my blog routine to pay tribute to my blog friend Anna Banana who flew in from South Korea last week. Of course I had to meet her! And she was sweet enough to go out of her way to meet me! She who had been privy to my frustrations with kimchi and other life matters the past months. It was nice to know that she was as wacky and engaging in person as she is online (as is often the case with the blog pals I meet. Call it lucky!)
We were joined by reel- and real-life couple Jher and Jerome who were quite a revelation in themselves, being such fun-tabulous persons to be with. The last I heard, the 2Js were up in arms against the homophobic column of a macho columnist in one major paper who has said “Let us be warned against the gay population, which is per se a compromise between the strong and the weak and therefore only somewhat and not the absolute of either of the two qualities. Be alert lest the Philippine flag be made of delicate lace and adorned with embroidered frills.” Sus, how could this so out-of-touch man say this when some of us admittedly love our gay friends to pieces?!
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The son can cook
I was enjoying my Sunday rest yesterday when I got up to see what the commotion in the other side of the house was all about.
Yay! I was surprised to see my son cooking in front of the stove flipping his very first successful sunny side up. Mom was silently beaming. The son can cook!
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He wants to be a hotelier!
All these times of staying in all sorts of hotel rooms has influenced my son.
He now wants to be a hotelier when he grows up!
He now says with glee…
“I want to be a butler!
or… an elevator boy!”
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Blogging since 2004 and recently married to Mr Z. I can't live without coffee....and brown sugar.
