December 2013's Bests...

The merriest and busiest month of the year - December.

My birth month, year-ending deliverables at work, my parents wedding
anniversary, weekend family bonding and the Christmas rush and
parties around.

Got occupied and overwhelmed with everything that transpired last
December. Anyways, here's the rundown of everything nice that The Family
was very thankful of....

At the Volkswage Vintage Show

In our fave place in the north @ Clark, Pampanga. Ice skating in SM Clark.

Coffee bonding moments @ Starbucks, SM Clark

@ Widus Resort and Casino

  
With the giant milk shake in town - Milky Way Shake @ Casa Verde,
UP Town Center.

The Family - Merry Christmas 2013

Checked in @ Shangrila Makati for The Family's New Year bonding.

Super extras - Another long-term investment before the year ended
+ a smart phone from The Husband. Thank you Lord!!!

Long weekend family bonding(Eid-al-Fitr - Aug.9,2013)

First, happy Eid-al Fitr to our Muslim brothers - after a month of fasting and prayers.

Today is just the 1st long weekend in August.  We still have 2 long weekends(Aug.19
QC Day and Aug.26 National Heroes Day) + 1 mid-week holiday(Aug.21 Ninoy
Aquino Day).

Yehey!!!!!! These mean more family time and re-charging.

The Family woke up late and had a great lunch with my mother-in-law @
Mesa, Tomas Morato.  The Father and Son had the Smurfs 2 movie date while
I was doing  my inet-surfing stuff over a hot caramel machiato.

As of this writing, Husband and I are watching how Gilas Pilipinas is outscoring
Kazahkstan. Go..go...go..Gilas guys. Then the Forever Young movie with my
husband will end the night.

Tomorrow is another long day for us - my son's Taekwondo session and
my office assignments. But come Sunday, another swimming bonding with
my husband's family side.

Happy New Year 2013

The Family welcomes 2013 with a thankful heart to God for all the love,
blessings and happiness.

To our families, relatives and friends, we wish you a 2013 full of love,
Love and LOVE...

The family had a great breakfast buffet at Rizal Ballroom of Makati Shangrila
courtesy of my sister-in-law. 

Family fun and bonding at the Quezon Memorial Circle

It was a great Dec. 23 great family fun and bonding at the Quezon Memorial Circle.

I thought I was in the Enchanted Kingdom that time when I saw same rides
were all jam-packed with kids and kids at heart.

Around were families enjoying the picnic, some were biking, jogging, strolling,
looking for great finds in the tiangges, and some having photo-ops with the
dinosaurs.

While some including my son enjoyed the inexpensive rides - boating,
zorb, zip line, carousel, ferriswheel and so many more.  Ride fee usually
ranges from 30-40 per ride. It was so affordable that a lot had surely
enjoyed.

What my son really enjoyed was the Go Kart.

The Family had its dinner at the Coconut Haus tasting some of its specialties -
Sinigang na Baboy(sa buko), Ginatadobo with Ensaladang Buko.

It was a very tiring long night but it was worth it all.

Merry Christmas 2012

It has been The Family's tradition to spend the whole day of Dec. 24 with
The Husband's family and the Christmas Noche Buena with mine.

We had a sumptuous lunch at Chef Jessie at the Rockwell Club. I had
Rib Eye steak and The Husband had his Lamb Chop.  The kids spent
the whole afternoon at the arcade games.

We ended the afternoon attending the anticipated Christmas mass.

Excited for the Noche Buena and gift-giving, my son had his time
count-down until 12 midnight for the gift-giving and opening.

It was another joyous Christmas for my kid and a stronger bonding
for The Family.

Thank you God for all the love and blessings...

Taekwondo: My son's TKD Promotion to Low Blue Belt

Marty on his new low blue belt.  Promotion went well last May 26, 2012
at Ateneo de Manila.

It was almost half a day of waiting for Marty's turn to start.  Kids from
different summer TKD sessions came to town  for this promotion.

Taekwondo: My son's TKD Promotion to High Yellow Belt

My son took his TKD promotion to high yellow belt last March 18 at
St. Paul College, Pasig City.

The assessment consisted of their Taeguk 1 form, self defense, different kicks
demonstration and the sparring. Results usually comes out 3 weeks after the
assessment.

With focus, strength, power and determination that my son is showing, we will
surely support him for his love to this sport. 

 

My son's sparring with his MSA TKD team mate Basty.

 

The MSA Whizkids TKD CHAMP and PRIDE!

Taekwondo: My son's first TKD Demo

My son on his first ever TKD demo during their Family Olympics school event.

Warming-up before the demo and photo-ops with the team and
coach Jec Panotes.

They had their group demonstration, followed by per belt-color presentation,
self defense and lastly the breaking of the board.

For the yellow belters group, they presented the Taeguk 1 form with my son
in front.  I was more nervous than my son that he might commit mistakes but
he proved me wrong.  He did it with focus and power.

He was also selected to be one in the self-defense demo.

And in the breaking of the board, he broke it for the 2nd try.

My son's preparatory graduation - with honors

Another one great proud mama moment - I was in teary eyes when my son Marty
was announced as one of the cream of the crop of the preparatory. At 5 years
old, he graduated prep with honors. 

I never expected it maybe because of the so little time and effort that I spent with
him doing his assignments and on his exam reviews.  Thank God for his wisdom
intelligence.

His self-introduction - "Good afternoon.  You are braver than you believe.
You are stronger than you seem and you are smarter than you think.  I am
Samuel Marty C. Santos.  I am 5 years old.  I like to be a Mechanical
Engineer.  Thank you."

 

Here is his medal.

He was also one of the selected students who performed on their Doxology presentation.

Time really flies so fast.  Last year, he completed his Kinder 1 as Top 3.  

He passed his acceleration exam and now he is graduating from pre-school.  

Surely, next year will be more challenges and more things to learn in Grade 1. 

His classmates that he will surely miss.  Some will go to big schools but some
will stay.  Marty will still stay in MSA Whizkids. We are very happy with the
quality of education that MSA Whizkids is providing to our son - 1 academic
level advance, develops critical thinking and maintains just a number of students per class.  

Fieldtrip in Yab Design, Aura of Lights, Gardenia and Starland Theme Park @Starmall, Alabang

Last January 19 I was in my mommy duty to accompany my son to their
school field trip for the 2nd time.

First destination was Yab Design in Angono Rizal.  World class as it claims
to be, is really one thing we should be proud of.  Life-size themed figures (pirates,
knights, santa claus, astronauts, etc), human figures(MJ, Mozart, famous actors
and actresses, US Presidents, etc.), animal figures, furnitures, from home to
garden and to restaurant decors to name a few of what I could remember.
These are made of resin fiberglass, woods, metals and poly-resins.

I actually have Santa Claus made of resin collection and every year, I add one
to it.

As a parent, I highly recommend that this be included in all school fieldtrips for the
kids to realize how artistic Filipinos are.

 

After the Yab Design, we headed to Touch of Aura in Boom na Boom 

Compound,  Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City.  Interactive galleries on

Evolution of Light (from past to present), fun looking at different kinds of

mirrors for the Defused and Refraction of Light, different visions of some

animals were also presented to the kids, Constellations, Light Maze, shadow

show by some of the kids representatives and the Interactive Light Show

that my son really enjoyed dancing on.

 

After having lunch at Jollibee in BlueWave, third destination was in Gardenia

factory in Laguna International Park. After the short presentation of its history

and how Gardenia breads are prepared up to its distribution, we were able

to see through the top viewing glass window how the breads were produced.

All are machine-prepared, no human intervention.  We were also able to buy

some breads fresh from the oven and on their factory price.

 

 

Kids enjoyed their photo-ops. Its good that kids knew how their favorite

breads are made.

 

 

 

And the most enjoyable part for the kids - Starland Theme Park in Starmall, 

Alabang.  Two hours of swimming + Ride-all-you-can ticket in the park

made the kids' day truly fun and memorable.

 

My son enjoyed most in the bump car.

 

Riding the Sky Rail...

The Galactic Ride...