Easter Activities and Egg Hunting

Originally, I thought about having an Easter project with my daughter like we did last year. What kind of project? Anything goes. Maybe paint some eggs, make an egg mosaic or else bake some cupcakes with egg design. Here are some ideas.





Project #1 Real Easter Eggs. This requires hard-boiled eggs, pencil, glue, colored papers, ribbon, yarn, and glitters. Decorate anyway you like.




Project #2 Easter cookies. You may use a sugar cookie recipe for this one. Cut the cookies in interesting shapes like butterfly, egg, bunny, flower, etc. Decorate with colored frosting.




Project #3 Easter Egg Cake Pops. Try a chocolate cake recipe, form into egg balls, cover with colored fondant, then decorate with sugar sprinkles.


Ahhh.. Easter arts and crafts is something that mommies and kids will surely enjoy. Plus, there are too much project to choose from for an Easter activity. I just lost my focus and forgot that groceries and malls are closed during holy week. Good thing I was able to purchase a bag of colorful plastic eggs a week ago, but no one wants to have an Easter egg-hunting in the community. Everyone else are doing the hunt in malls or shopping areas. So anyway, we will be out for an Easter egg hunting somewhere in Makati now. Happy Easter Everyone!! :)






Source of Photos: http://favim.com

Different Kinds of Jacket for Women

Jacket is one of the staple or must-have items in a person's closet. It is a nice piece of clothing for mixing and matching and for layering esp. during those days that temperature is lower. There are different kinds of jacket for various seasons and occasions for women alone. I tried to enumerate some of them and was able to come up with 15 through the help of Polyvore. Here they are.






The purple one is womens marmot jacket, orange is a knitted jacket, rain jacket at the center, ski jacket at the upper right, and fur jacket at the lower right.





Pink is a peplum jacket, denim jacket over it, cropped jacket at the center, biker jacket at the upper right, and floral jacket below it.





Now we have here an army jacket, varsity jacket over it, studded jacket at the center, leather jacket at the upper right, and ombre jacket at the lower right.


Can you add more kinds of jacket on this list? Tell me in a comment below.

Vegetable Rice

To my FB friends and followers, do you remember that day I posted about grilled salmon in lemon sauce? That same day, I made an attempt of preparing vegetable rice to match the fish I cooked as per hubby's request. This holy week, I know most of you mommies cook mainly fish and vegetables. I recommend you also give this recipe a try. Exchange your steamed rice with this vegetable rice once in a while. It's a healthy choice and very easy to prepare.






My Vegetable Rice Recipe
Ingredients:
6 cups steamed rice
1/2 cup carrot and corn
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
10 grams Mama Sita's Pang-Gisa Mix (NO MSG)
salt to taste




Preparation:
Saute garlic and onion in olive oil until light brown. Add all the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes, followed by steamed rice. Mix well. Season with Mama Sita's Pang-Gisa Mix and salt. Serve hot.

Yield: This recipe is good for 6 - 8 people.

Thinking of a Summer House

This summer heat makes me wish I live in the countryside like in a farm or near the beach. It is also the season which reminds me the importance of having a well-ventilated house, large windows, airy atmosphere and all. Ahh, I see a resort type of house with beautiful flower garden and water fountain indoor to add a mode of serenity and relaxation.







I remember this house in my aunt's neighborhood in Looc, Romblon. Imagine sitting down in a wooden bench, having some afternoon snacks and listening to the chirping birds while watching the small water fountain beside the grotto at this house. Okay, enough of the dreaming. In the future, our family will finally move out of the city and live in our very own beach home.

Summer Beach Styles

Oh yeah, it is time to dress up for the beach. Bring out those sexy bikinis and get ready for some summer sun. But of course, don't forget your most stylish accessories like bag, bracelet, earrings, etc. Also avoid getting painful sunburn by taking your handy SPF lotion and creams with you. This summer, we'll surely see a lot of girls in different beach styles. I created four of them through Polyvore. Now question is.. which one is yours?





The Classy Summer Girl




The Beach Boho




The Sweet and Girly





The Rocker Chic


Unfortunately, I still don't have any concrete plans of going to the beach this summer, though hubby mentioned about going somewhere near, maybe just a couple of hours of drive down south. I really don't know 'cause in my mind, images of Shangri-la Mactan and our awesome dining experience at Tides are still stuck in my head. Ufff, I have to wait until October for that. Anyway, places could be heavily crowded this holy week so I guess we'll make it pass and stay in the city for a while.

What about you? Any plans for the holy week? Where are you guys spending the weekend? Share share.

My Daughter Singing 'That's Falling in Love'

I know Talking Angel is so cute that's why my 4 yo daughter loves singing its theme song as much as playing with the application. Today, I asked her to sing 'That's Falling in Love'. It's not her best yet. She needs to memorize the lyrics and also master the tune first, but I am sharing it anyway.






My singing sensation, recorded at her pink room just this morning.





Funny eh? I finally have a copy of the lyrics so I guess I'll teach her the correct lines. We'll make another video when she's done mastering it. Oh, I wish we have something like protools 10 at home. I heard pro tools can turn music recording into professional level. In any case, below is the lyrics of the song that my daughter is trying to sing in the video.


That's Falling in Love Lyrics
(from Talking Angela)

Wait, wait, I feel my heart change
Whenever you come around
The Earth shakes, it's more than I can take
I think my feet just left the ground

Chorus
I know it feels like flying,
I can't stop smilin'
You're the one I've been dreaming of
It's like happily ever after, nothing else matters
I guess that's falling in love

That's falling, that's falling
I guess that's falling in love
That's falling, that's falling
I guess that's falling in love

Verse 2
You, you, you're all I think about
Every minute of every day
It's true blue the way I feel for you
Your sweet love takes me away

(Repeat Chorus)

Bridge
I'm getting dizzy now, just like I'm spinning round
Could it be love?
I can't explain it, can't contain it,
I don't want to at all
I'm ready to fall

(Repeat Chorus)

The Amazing Hunt at Fun Ranch

We were back at Fun Ranch last Saturday. My little one loves that place a lot, so I didn't hesitate to say yes when they sent me a family invitation to The Amazing Hunt, a blogger's party, introducing their newest addition of rides.






Each blogger together with his/her son or daughter made a team. Then, we were given a card with the corresponding rides to visit.




There were clues to each attraction and once a team accomplished the task, they get another clue to the next ride until the finish line.

The third stop of our hunt was one of newest attractions, the Balloon Flight. Daughter and I enjoyed this ride, going up and down, forward and backward, flying like in a real hot air balloon.




Our second to the last stop was this new Dragon Roller Coaster featuring “Bunny Hills” on the track, making the ride more intense. The entire family is welcome to ride this kiddie roller coaster.




Happy faces at the finish line. At first I was kind of worried that the chosen rides for the hunt might be risky, but no.. they were all easy. Thanks God for a healthier pregnancy! :)

We are planning to go back to Fun Ranch before the summer ends. My little niece is coming in April so I will treat her and my daughter with ride-all-you-can at Fun Ranch and unlimited play at Playdium. Yay, I can already imagine the excitement as they ride the carousel, the choo-choo train, the mini ferris wheel, etc.

Fun Ranch also caters to special occasions like birthdays, baptism and other celebrations. They have function rooms that can fit a small group to a large group of people, say 10 to 500. Rest rooms were refurbished and then they installed new paving blocks to ensure a more pleasurable stay of guests.

For more information on Fun Ranch party packages and rates, contact them using the details below.


Fun Ranch Ortigas
Frontera Verde Ortigas Ave. Cor. C5, Pasig City
Tel. Nos. +632 7063029/ +632 7063019/ +632 687-2870
Mobile Nos.+639189173985/ +639175183997

WARNING: Leaded and Fake MAC Lipstick

I have a confession to make. Don't tell anybody.. I don't have any MAC lipstick in my beauty stash. Can you believe that? Oh hush. I told you.. don't tell! Haha. Kidding aside, I've been meaning to buy shades like ruby woo and lady danger long ago, but I would always think twice every time I pass by a MAC cosmetic store. I mean, it's not that I can't afford to buy them. I just don't feel like buying since I still have almost a dozen of lipsticks and lip gloss from brands like Avon, Maybelline, Etude House, and Elf. Half of them were given to me as a gift, the rest were from my own (panic) shopping.

About the fake MAC lipstick, someone gave it to me as gift last Christmas. I don't hate the person who gave it me. I know she doesn't have any idea she was buying a fake product. Besides, gifts are gifts no matter how expensive or cheap or fake it is.





Nice color huh. Oppss.. don't be deceived 'cause it's obviously fake.




You can tell from the box alone. The MAC logo doesn't look like that. It is so wrong.




The packaging is really bad. The bottom sticker of the lipstick says MAC 03? Any idea what shade is that really?! And.. lipstick lipstick lipstick lipstick? What the..!




Here is another thing. The manufacturing details on the lipstick tube. I believe authentic MAC lipsticks don't have that. They're always plane black and gray though there are black/red, pink and white ones of flowers or characters like the Archie's Girls and Viva Glam collections.



How to check if a lipstick has lead?




Step 1: Get a clean white bond paper or any plain paper you can find.

Step 2: Using the lipstick like a pen, draw a short line on the white paper.

Step 3: Get a silver or gold jewelry. In my case, I used my wedding ring.

Step 4: Rub the jewelry against the lipstick line.

Step 5: Check the color of the lipstick. If color darkens then lipstick has traces of lead.


---
Okay, now let me share this Q &A from US FDA from their updated article on lipstick and lead.

Has FDA been aware of concerns about lead in lipstick?
Yes, reports about lead in lipstick are not new. In the 1990s, reports of analytical results from a commercial testing laboratory suggested that traces of lead in lipstick might be of concern. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC), in October 2007, reported finding lead in a selection of lipsticks on the market. Because reports about lead in lipstick have surfaced periodically and because of the time that had elapsed since we last examined information on lipsticks in the marketplace, we decided that further follow-up was needed

Is there a safety concern about the lead levels FDA found in lipsticks?
No. We have assessed the potential for harm to consumers from use of lipstick containing lead at the levels found in both rounds of testing. Lipstick, as a product intended for topical use with limited absorption, is ingested only in very small quantities. We do not consider the lead levels we found in the lipsticks to be a safety concern. The lead levels we found are within the limits recommended by other public health authorities for lead in cosmetics, including lipstick.

What are FDA's next steps for lead in lipstick?
Although we do not believe that the lead content found in our recent lipstick analyses poses a safety concern, we are evaluating whether there may be a need to recommend an upper limit for lead in lipstick in order to further protect the health and welfare of consumers.

To read the entire article, go to www.fda.gov.

NOTD: Skittles Candy

To those of you who follow me in IG and likers and friends in FB, I bet you already have a teeny weeny hint as to how my nails look like today. I posted the set of nail polish in different colors I used to create this simple nail art. Some guessed I will be using green, others said yellow, then another said ombre. Oh well, obviously, I didn't use just one color here. I used them all. And oh, it's not ombre but it's skittles!





My first ever candy nails. I had fun doing it.
It is sweet colorful rainbow of colors like Skittles.




This is the same nail polish I used for Christmas nails.
It is my favorite red nail polish yet.




To achieve the Skittles nails, start with a base which is red.
Make it dry. Drop rainbow colors on it. Lastly, coat with a colorless polish.




All the products I used for this nail art is from Caronia.
L-R: colorless, sweet surprise, kiwi, sun kissed, desire, first crush, and baby pink.




Do you like it? Or do you loooove it? Haha.
Quoting my daughter now with her usual expression.


That's all dearies. Happy weekend everyone!
Till my next post!! :)

Homemade Pineapple-Mango Jam

When I was a kid, I would pick and collect the ripe guavas at my grandparent's backyard and make them into a guava jelly. In high school, I learned how to cook jams and understood the difference between a fruit jam, a fruit jelly, and a marmalade. At a grocery like 3 days ago, I contemplated whether to buy this certain brand of pineapple jam or not. Checking the price of the product, a medium-sized jar was P80. Suddenly, the thought of making my own jam came to my mind, so I bought pineapples and mangoes, took them home and created a little magic.





my version of pineapple-mango jam..




freshly-cut pineapple chunks..




ripe mango slices..




cooking it.. smells really good..




enjoying my pineapple-mango jam with monay..



My Pineapple-Mango Jam Recipe
Ingredients:
2 medium pineapples, peeled and cut in chunks
2 ripe mangoes, flesh separated from the seed
1/4 kilo of white sugar
1 cup water
Preparation:
-Combine pineapple chunks, mango and water in a blender. Blend until medium smooth.
-Transfer the blended fruit in a pot.
-Add sugar and mix well.
-Boil until syrup thickens while stirring constantly.
-Let cool and enjoy.

Total Cost of Ingredients: P62
Yield: Makes around 3 medium-sized jar or 900 grams of jam.


Mommies, if you love jams as spread in your morning pandesal or tasty bread, I suggest you cook it yourself. That way, you know it's healthier and you save money pa. No preservatives, artificial flavors, and extenders. Plus, you can control the sweetness of your jam according to your taste.

This summer season, there are a lot of fruits you can choose to make jams with. Do the magic in your own kitchen. I am sure your kids and other family members will love it!

Ready for the Moving Up Ceremony

The daughter's moving up ceremony is today at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. You saw the choice of graduation dresses which I posted last week. At first, I thought I didn't have to dress up for this occasion. I supposed I could just wear jeans and a decent top, but her principal prefers the parents to be wearing formal attire. Anyhow, I was able to buy myself a dress in a discounted price last Friday and found the perfect hair accessory for my daughter. Here's our graduation outfit board.






For my daughter: a flower headband in ivory with pearl detail from Fancy Ava





For my daughter: Alli & Ella ecru dress with pearly belt





For my daughter: off-white Barbie flats and white Pitcheco tights





For me: Krizia dress in dark pink-almost-purple color.. (belt included but not in the photo)




We'll start preparing right after lunch.. you know shower, hair, makeup and all. Not sure yet what I'm gonna do with my own hair. I guess I'll just blow dry it. On the other hand, daughter hair is medium length, thin and wavy. I hope the no heat curls I tried last night will turn out fine today.

I'm planning to apply a VERY light makeup on my daughter's face. For myself, I'll again experiment with whatever I can find in my kikay kit so please please! I hope I won't look like a clown today. I hate it when I have an event and I mess my makeup then end up going with blush and lipstick alone.

Whatever happens, I will surely blog about today's event. Till my next post? :)

NOTD: Pink Leopard

I bought a pink dress to wear on my daughter's moving up ceremony tomorrow. For a while, I thought of wearing just plain pink nails to match, but I changed my mind when I saw a leopard printed item in my closet. Pink leopard nails? Sounds fabulous huh!





This is my first time to do leopard-printed nails.




I used tan as a base then hot pink and black for the print.




The hot pink is the same Sally Hansen polish I used for Hello Kitty nails.




The products I used from left to right: Sassy Black Magic, Sally Hansen Frutti Petutie, Caronia Colorless, and Caronia Touch of Tan.


Just like my Hello Kitty nails, I know my first try of leopard nails is not perfect. I will surely do it again using different colors next time. I am thinking of yellow or maybe purple. We will see.

Do you experiment in painting your nails? What design would you like to try? Any nail art product to recommend?

Bricks & Copper Baklava Review

This sweet pastry originating from the Ottoman Empire is a famous Turkish dessert. Hubby came home with a box of baklava from Bricks & Copper one day and I was like, "Oh no!" As you know, I am carefully watching my food intake these days. Okay, I sometimes cheat by eating cookies and sweets, but I make sure I can burn those calories right away. Being pregnant with my second baby, I want to avoid gestational diabetes mellitus as long as I can. So anyway, I welcomed the box of baklava, tried a bite then stocked it in the fridge.





layers and layers of filo pastry..




chopped nuts in between the layers..




drizzled with syrup.. so sweet!




a box of baklava sweetness..


My Verdict:
I like the fact that they did not pour the syrup and packed it in a separate container. That way, I can eat baklava with less sugar and the box wasn't sticky or wet.

Another thing that I like about this baklava.. less sweeter than those I had in the past. However, it has less nuts too. I was expecting my baklava to have more nuts in between layers and extra topping of crushed pistachios.

About the price, considering the taste and value for money, I think P500 for 12 squares of baklava is okay.

Just Arrived: Victoria's Secret Love Spell Gift Set

I have a confession to make. Can't get over the fact that I wasn't able to do some shopping the first time I dropped by at the Victoria's Secret store at NAIA Terminal 3. It was really disappointing. Thanks God I have a friend who can do the shopping for me, straight from the US!





I got this Victoria's Secret Love Spell Gift Set from Jass Botiq. The retail price of this product is $22. Multiply that with 40.66, you will get 894.52. Now guess how much I paid for this set. I think you will say around P1,200 to P1,500 but no, I only paid P1,000 for it :)




The set includes Love Spell fragrance mist, Love Spell hydrating body lotion, and Love Spell body wash shampooing corporel. Love spell has this cherry blossom and peach scent so it is really sweet-smelling.




The purple leatherette wristlet is so beautiful. I love the gold details so much. I am now using it as a kikay kit. Soshyal di ba? :))



So happy that I've found Jass Botiq. I think I can't get a price cheaper than that esp. for the brand Victoria's Secret. I saw another seller in Facebook who sells Victoria's Secret gift set asking double. Imagine, paying P2,000 for the same authentic Victoria's Secret gift set? Not to mention, hers is the one with an ordinary canvass wristlet and not the same leatherette one.

Need more convincing? Try to check Landmark in Trinoma 'cause they also sell authentic Victoria's Secret items. I am sure they will give you a bigger price for this one. Remember my the Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea body mist and body cream? I also bought them from Jass Botiq.

Jass Botiq is a store selling authentic perfumes, makeup and other beauty products online. They have imported brands like Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body Works, Stilla, NYX, XOXO, Ralph Lauren, CK, etc. They also have cute stuffed toys, bed sheets, towels, bags, umbrellas, and a lot more for kids.

To check Jass Botiq, just follow THIS LINK. Happy shopping!!!

Pregnancy Update

First off, I would like to greet all my mommy friends, girlfriends, and female readers a happy International Women's Day! It is our most special day. Let's celebrate like it's our birthday so after this post, I will be out for shopping. Let's go. Haha. Okay, I'll calm down a bit and write a short update on my pregnancy. This way, I will be able to have a digital memory of my 2nd baby during gestation. Plus, for my friends and relatives abroad to be updated too.





I am done with the first trimester. Thanks God! No more dizziness, sick mornings or evenings and crazy food cravings. My baby bump isn't really obvious unless I wear fitted tops or dresses.




This is how my tummy looks these days.. I just reached my 4th month. My baby is exactly 16 weeks old today. Whew, 168 days more then I'll be ready to pop.




Hello! I am about 5 oz and 5 inches this.
Mommy already feels my tiny kicks.


There you go. I am off to shopping now. At least you guys know my tummy is growing, right? :P