feels so good...

I'm so happy today!!!

I woke up early to prepare a lot of things because this is going to be a very busy day for the whole family. The kids will be joining Kids Camp later. It'll be their first social activity here in Riyadh. Despite juggling lots of chores, here I am typing away in my blog bacause i'm so excited..the wonderful Mama Hen of mamaslittlechick.blogspot.com (such an AWESOME mommy blog, i tell you) gave me the Cherry On Top Award! YEY!!! I just couldn't let this moment pass! =)

I have to thank the one who gave me this award: I'm telling you Mama Hen, THANK YOU is not enough..let me extend to you a big HUG =)


I believe I have to write down 3 things i love about myself so here it goes...
1. I love having this kind of family, i am truly blessed..not everyone gets to experience this kind of bliss in family life =)
2. I love that I have a very strong relationship with God - I know that He gave me all these wonderful blessings which I am enjoying now..
3. I love that I'm a loving and kindhearted person (tell me if you think otherwise, hehe)..

Then I need to post a picture that I love (can i make that 2?)

I love this picture with my Grandmother..she and my grandpa live with us =)
notice her forcing a smile..this was the day that the kids and I left the Philippines (look at the mess behind us)..Whenever we'd call she always says she misses the kids so badly..
(FACT: My "LOLA" slept beside me since i was a little girl 'til the day she had to pass the torch to my husband, hehe)


This is my dearest "LOLO" (grandpa)..He taught me a lot of things..
Back in the Philippines, he would always buy stuff for the boys =)

so there...now i have to pass this award to another five...
I would love to pass it on to Mommy Neel of beingzaraandzidan.blogspot.com, the ladies of thepinktarha.blogspot.com, Miss Leah of leahtaas-infocus.blogspot.com, Denise of denisekatipunera.blogspot.com, and Indiana of adoredaustin.com
These are fabulous women with great blogs!!! =)

Now i need to get back to work...superfast! =)

Sean Paolo

LISTEN...and learn from your kids!

It's amazing how children can utter words with so much wisdom that we adults sometimes find ourselves making some realizations from them..

We decided to do a little shopping last Thursday since it's the mid-year sale season here in Riyadh. As we prepare to go out, I asked the kids to put on their socks and shoes. They were watching cartoons and Sammy, our youngest, suddenly cried because he couldn't find his left sock. We were really in a hurry since it's already past 8pm (yes, sometimes going out is much better past 8pm after the last Salat(prayer) since stores close in at around past 11pm during weekends). I asked the two older boys, Paolo and Matti, to help their brother look for the missing sock. In as much as I don't want to admit, i got a little bit irritated since we were really running out of time. As it turns out, Sammy unconciously wore both socks on his right foot because he was too busy watching TV! We all eventually laughed! =) So off we went and rode the car. Then another obstacle...the car wouldn't start! My husband stepped out, checked the car and found out that the battery was to blame. He pushed the car so he could jump-start it. Jut then 3 Pakistanis passing by stopped and helped him out. Within minutes, we were on our way to the mall. Then Paolo, the eldest, out of the blue blurted out, "Today is a lucky day! Sammy's sock was missing but we were able to find it.. the car wouldn't start but somebody helped daddy out to make it start!" My husband and I were speechless! I, for one, looked at those events as hassles and my husband was too preoccupied looking for a battery store along the way. After hearing those words, the two of us loosened up..and so we had a blast for the rest of the night..Thank you Pao!

look at that SMILE! =)

Wednesday Delight!

Wednesday is the last day of the workweek here in KSA and so we have made it into a habit of going grocery shopping on Wednesday nights so that by Thursday and Friday, we can go whereever we want or just stay at home and relax. It is also during Wednesdays that the kids and I are excited because we know we would again indulge in a weekend of mouthful satisfaction. I have an "exaggerated" sweet tooth and i think i passed it on to all of my kids. My husband is really not into sweet stuffs but he joins us whenever we are in "those craving sessions". But aside from the usual cake, chocolate and ice cream indulgence, we also love lots of Filipino desserts (you can eat most filipino sweets any time of the day!) which we buy from Pinoy (slang name for Filipino) Bakery. It's not as authentic as the ones in the Philippines but it's as close to the real thing as we can get so we are not really complaining! =)


this is where we usually go grocery shopping especially when we are in the "all-Filipino mode" since it's like a one-stop place (Pinoy restaurant, bakery and grocery).


the treats!


My favorite Cassava Cake ( a classic Filipino dessert made from grated cassava or manioc, a woody shrub where the starch that is used to make tapioca are derived - kumain.com).


Paolo's fave Sapin-Sapin (a layered glutinous rice and coconut dessert in Filipino cuisine. It is made from rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, water, and coloring with coconut flakes sprinkled on top. Sapin-sapin means "layers" and the dessert is recognizable for its layers, each colored separately - wikipedia).


Matti's Cuchinta ( Rice flour is mixed with water, dark brown sugar and lye water then poured into moulds. Kutsinta (or cuchinta) is cooked by steaming. Served with niyog (grated coconut)-pinoycook.net).


Sammy's Hopia (a bean filled pastry. The most popular flaky hopia is Hopiang mungo and as its name implies, is filled with sweet split mungo bean paste - wikipedia)

I'll end this for now..we have a whole lot of eating to do! =)

the weekenders

here's what we have been up to last thursday (thursdays and fridays are the weekends here in KSA)..

we went to The Fun City inside Shola's Shopping Center to give the kids some RandR plus hubby and i had some good cups of chai (tea with milk).

the pictures are blurred since i didn't use a flash (i don't want to grab any attention from others since i'm not that sure if it's allowed to take photos there)..
generally, picture-taking is not allowed inside malls..i tried it a few times and someone would always stop me from doing so..

Oh! and happy father's day to all the wonderful and loving dads out there!!! =)












some shameless outfit post, lol...

this shift dress actually reminds me of an abaya (sort of like a mini version)

enan and jeel - the ones responsible for the existence of the three little pigs =)

of contemplation and confusion then just plain gladness...

i haven't been in the mood to blog lately (but i still managed to religiously read mom blogs and fashion blogs during those days) because my husband and i have been contemplating on moving to a new home... after several days of careful thinking, we decided to just stay where we are for a while and maybe just give the move a go by next year..anyway, the only problem that we have with our current place is the parking area, other than that, we're in a homey, comfortable nook..

i was really feeling gloomy until mommy Neel of beingzaraandzidan.blogspot.com gave me this award! It really cheered me up..a big heartfelt thank you again to you mommy Neel..being a mom becomes an extra wonderful role when you get to share the experience to other moms in the whole-wide world! =)



another thing that lifted my spirit up was when my cousin posted our childhood pic (circa 1982-1983) in facebook..i must say i had my fair share of tears and laughters during my younger years but i generally had a happy childhood! i'm the girl in the middle..the only boy in the photo is my younger brother.. =)



i know for sure that things will get better in the coming days....

good morning!

kids have the wildest imaginations..

as Henry David Thoreau puts it,
"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."

so here's what transpired this morning while the kids were eating breakfast..

it's a bowl of cereal, right?

can you actually see the camel? lol...

yes, it's a tiled floor...

but wait, where's smiley?


let kids imagine..for one day, their creativity will lead them somewhere!
now, let me imagine about that! =)

(advanced post) you are loved...

edit: i totally lost track of time, lol..

to the man

who always looks after his family's needs first before his...

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

..and here's proof of how great-a-dad you are =)

WE LOVE YOU!!!

real trips: DRESS OVERLOAD

when it comes to clothes, i'd choose a dress over a pair of jeans any time. but it was only recently that i learned about the basic dress cuts, seriously. While watching a re-run of Rachel Ray, one of the segments caught my attention and dragged me to get my handy-dandy (read: humongous) notebook and pen.

in my own little way, let me present to you 5 different types of dress cuts we can choose from depending on our body types..

note: in as much as i would love to rummage my clothes to give examples, i don't have enough dresses with me right now as the bulk of them were left in the Philippines . so i just opted to search the web for images. here they are...


A-LINE - fitted top, flared bottom to ignore the waist and hips

for the pear-shaped or bottom-heavy, this is a good choice 'cause it accentuates the trunk. (plus, A-line dresses always make me feel like a real lady - or a princess to an extent (no, make that queen! haha)

photo from omg.yahoo.com


Ruy Sanchez-Blanco (www.glamour.com)

SHEATH - close fitting dress to suggest the form and curve of a woman's body

if one's athletic or muscular, then this is the perfect dress cut. (I can wear it to cocktail parties but i'm not really into form-fitting clothes - make me feel very uncomfortable)

photo by Todd Selby (www.glamour.com)


stylebible.ph

SHIRT DRESS - now labeled as a universal outfit due to its versatility (can be worn with jeans, leggings, with or without belt) and can suit almost all figures

this dress makes one feel relaxed. it can be casual and chic at the same time..it can be worn in the office, while running errands, day at the beach, etc, etc.. (my personal favorite!)

shine.yahoo.com


from stylebible.ph

TRAPEZE - triangle-shaped dress, not fitted, no waist (but can also be worn with a belt)

for those not comfortable showing bulges in the stomach area then this is the dress for you. it gives attention to the arms and legs so it makes one feel sexy even if it's a loose dress. (i also like this style - sexy yet conservative)

alternativeoutfitters.com


photo from totallyher.com

WRAP DRESS - a "girl's suit". it has got to be the most timeless dress style in a woman's wardrobe

it acentuates curves and gives a slimming image thus it's great for curvy women.



wrap dress photos from dealrocker.blogspot.com


that's me on the left(standing) wearing a trapeze dress. that was back in the Philippines last February when i attended my co-teacher and close friend's daughter's (center, standing) 18th birthday party..

we are family: homeschool

In 2008, when I first came to Riyadh, my two older kids were left behind in the Philippines (they were under the loving care of their grandmother and great grandparents) since they were still enrolled in a regular school. I would stay in here for 6 months then go back to the Philippines and be there for the next six months..that went on for 2 years. During those times we were really planning carefully what we want the set-up to be. We miss our 2 boys most of the time and there are times when the 3 us (my husband, me and our youngest)would only look at pictures of all of us together to compensate for our sadness..in as much as we would want to be complete in a distant place from home, we are hesitant to bring the 2 boys over since we know for a fact that schools here in Riyadh are pretty expensive..the thought of working here would enter my mind every now and then but there will be other things to consider like who would look after them while i'm still at work, etc. etc..

as fate would have it, I came across a website promoting homeschooling. I've had ideas about it before but didn't really bother searching into it since i was already working as a teacher and my two boys were enrolled in the same school where i was teaching. i looked into it and searched for other articles and write-ups about it. I presented it to my husband but he was unsure about it at first. but it seems as if God has already planned something for us..while i was in the Philippines (about to enroll the kids for the upcoming school year) i discovered that one of our close neighbor's daughter is working in a school which is tied up to a homeschooling system. They oriented me about the program and answered all my questions and apprehensions..in less than a month, my kids were already enrolled in the homeshcooling system..

homeschooling has lots of benefits, i tell you. i get to practice being a teacher plus i don't have to worry about my kids since i can always look after them 24/7. by the way, the kids' materials are called PACES - every area of learning is divided into 12 paces (booklets) so it's easy for the child to accomplish and understand every subject. plus, the child gets to pratice discipline since they really need to read before they can answer..and the best part of it is we have all the time in the world!!! =)

i think i'll have another post for the pros and cons of homeschooling =)


these are the kids' desks and bins that we got from IKEA. the stools we bought from Al Swalim supermarket for 8riyals (2 dollars) each =)


the eldest's materials..he has 8 subjects (areas of learning) now.


the second one's paces..he's got 7 subjects.


these are my youngest's materials (he calls them PACES, too)..he's not yet enrolled so i just bought the workbooks from a bookstore back in the Philippines.


hubby brought this home one day (he printed it out from his office computer)so that we can motivate the kids to eat more vegetables and to try out the gross-looking ones, lol..we placed it right in front of their study desks.

emotera: am i turning into a manic-depressive freak?

there are days when i just feel stuck here (and these episodes usualy happen when the kids are still all asleep)..just earlier today i was on the verge of crying..good thing the phone rang and it was my husband. somehow that heavy feeling subsided a little bit..just a little bit.

in as much as i value facebook, blogs and all other networking sites (since they are the only social association i have) there are times when they depress me..i see faces of people, places others have been to and recent get-togethers which i/we don't normally experience..

i feel like there are so many things going on in the outside world and here i am, facing a wall and tomorrow it will be like this all over again. =(

outfit post: I BET NOT!

before my husband went and worked here in riyadh, he worked as a college instructor in a state university for a year. during their school's annual foundation celebration he was given a freebie shirt. and that freebie shirt became one of my favorite shirts of all time.. i don't know..but there's just something about it that makes me feel like a "mowdel" everytime i put it on, hehehe..sort of like "blusang itim" lol...

i wore it when we went grocery shopping yesterday..leggings and oversized shirts/tops are my comfort clothes when i don't feel like dressing up..

now if only the prints on the shirt would read 'MODELS, INC.' then everything will be perfect, hahaha...it's free to dream anyway! =)