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!!!