A day's fix

I had the luxury of time to give our kids' study room a fix last Sunday. I badly wanted to because of the mess that is almost incomprehensible. The kids, and adults, just shoved things here and there allowing this unsightly thing to transpire. Tapes are everywhere, I do not know where to find this and that, my kids keep asking about their stuff. It's becoming time consuming and stressful to just locate a sharpener or paint brush.
So how did we do it? First, we took out everything, throw a lot of papers away, sort and sort, took some containers, and done quite a lot of labeling.

Throw away. I asked the kids to check which toys can be discarded. We can donate those that are still okay and throw the rest away. I also went into the piles of school works, old quizzes, and projects. I did threw most of them after consulting my kids. It's so nice that they cooperated and participated in the sorting. They actually did not realize how many small things they got.

Are you ready for pets?

Whether to have pets or not is a household decision. Your kids may definitely like the idea but are they ready for it, or are you? The responsibilities that come along with pets and the physical requirements (like pet's home and where to put it) are just some of the things you need to think of before deciding. If your kids have allergies, you might need to think not just twice but many times.
We had hamsters last year, the female one even gave birth to 3 cutelings at New Year's Eve. But then because of the difficulty in leaving them when we as a family go someplace, we decided to give them away.

As a mom, I look for ways to train my kids to do their tasks and responsibilities so when we got the hamsters from the province, I assigned my kids some tasks related to caring for our new pets.But my younger one has this over giggling towards the cute hamsters. One day, I suspected that one of our hamsters suffered from broken bones because it could no longer stand up. Later that day, he died. Poor thing.
So here are some things to consider and discuss with your kids before you let those pets into your household.

How to organize your child's closet?

Does your child often complain about difficulty in finding what he/she needs in the morning before going to school? Is the closet a picture of disarray and chaos? Organizing your kid’s clothing effectively is one way to avoid the chaos.  For instance, segregating the clothes and assigning certain area for each category is important so that your child can easily find what he or she needs in no time. Here are some steps to follow in organizing your child’s wardrobe.

(Photo source)

 If you haven’t done yet, buy a closet that has lots of division and big enough to hold your kid’s clothing.  This will help you in the organization department. There are quite a few options if you have a small closet with only 2 to 3 shelves inside than if you have more compartments in the closet.

Home Idea: The Charming Italian Home

I've got to make a post to show off some photos I took from my travel to Italy last summer especially that of a house up in one of the hills surrounding the breathtaking Lake Como. I've always liked the Mediterranean style. I say it is one ideal house that you can emulate if you are on that crucial stage of finding the perfect place or designing your own home.

The lovely house with a garden.
The Italian home with a garden is so charming. It oozes a nostalgic aura, like in a classic film. I feel I am in one of the scenes in The Godfather when I saw some small plots. The greens are so relaxing. In these times, it's good to go back to producing your own backyard supplies of veggies. I am the farming type (something I inherited from my dad, God bless his soul) so I'd rather go for a small house with a large plot of land than a big house with less garden space.

Living in Cerritos Trails

When we moved here in Cerritos Trails, I knew it wouldn't be the same as living in our Makati apartment where everything is almost within an arm's length. In fact, it was a major change - a life-changing decision. The adjustment period was about half a year to be honest - but that was more because we moved in at the middle of the school year (can you believe that?) If you can imagine how difficult it is to commute everyday for my then preschooler and third grader from Bacoor to Makati, it is even worse in real life. I'm glad that part is over now and I am so proud of my kids for passing that stage in their life, that part when their mom just made up her mind one weekend and decided to move the next month because of her excitement with the new house and because she's getting tired of floods in Makati. I know, I may not able to get over the guilt and forgive myself for that drastic decision but nevertheless, things turned out great for us here in our new community, I'm so relieved. To cut the story short, the kids are now well-adjusted, we all love the place, the house, their new school, and the community.

It is peaceful in here, which is what I really love about moving in and buying a home in gated communities. The kids can freely bike their feet around, there is a swimming pool where children of all ages could splash to their heart's content, and there is fresh air which is non-existent in the hustle and bustle of the city. Yet, we have the convenience that a convenience store could provide, thanks to Finds, and we are near a mall (SM Molino) where we could watch movies. If we want some serious shopping/malling, Alabang is just 10 minutes away. 

Although, our area is not necessarily traffic jam-free, our gates (Meadows and Springville) are situated before and not after the crossing of Daang Hari and Molino Rd. which is a major crossing a.k.a. bottleneck. So we normally don't experience this inconvenience that dwellers in Dasmarinas or Paliparan may be dealing with. Lucky us! And also, the advantage of being inside established communities, Springville, is that we are near some commercial areas, schools and churches, unlike if we have moved to an entirely newly developed community far from existing ones. We are in an exclusive village, yet there is an easy access to amenities and other stuffs. Looking back, I am happy with our decision. It is rewarding to have a home of our own and to live in a peaceful and pleasant environment.

Some tips for the newbies in our village:

To buy fresh seafood - check out a corner store (ala talipapa) near Don Steven's
Tailor - there's one at the back of Montessori dei San Lorenzo (main building), try 09199441917

Check out my previous post about Cerritos Trails for more details. For schools around the community, check out this post.

The warmest of celebrations

We prefer to party at home. Aside from being practical, I like the warmth and it's being a personal thing doing celebrations in our house. The thing is, we prefer and we're more comfortable around people who are really close to us. It's also a chance for a sort of an open house. Since we moved to the outskirts, away from the city, we get very rare visits from friends and relatives. So, it is very fitting that we hold celebrations at home when there is an occasion. This photo was taken during my Andre's birthday, we ordered balloons with helium in it because we liked the idea of having colors up in our all-white ceilings (and walls) and way more FUN for the kids. The common thing now is just buy balloons on sticks.  But nothing beats the flying balloons, it's the child in us that is ecstatic when we see something colorful up there.

Sonya's Garden: A Special Feature

Consider this my lucky day. Yes folks, we visited "The" Sonya's Garden in Alfonso, Cavite. And what can I say, much is said about this talk of the town - Bed and Breakfast. A romantic getaway, so great if you yearn for peace and quiet, very refreshing, just what you need for an amazing vacation and instant too - coz it's very near Manila. A lot of weddings take place in Sonya's. And who wouldn't love to? It's an amazingly beautiful place. We went there for a lunch, an eat-all-you-can. Someone really special took us there and it was a memorable experience -one that is climbing my chart of unforgettable places. We really love the food, the garden, the flower bowls, the bakeshop, and the rest rooms too! Oh how nice they are! The restaurant is amazing in itself, it takes you back to your old Filipino heritage with their interiors. I love the salad menu and assortment of spreads into their high-fiber, healthy bread. The pesto is heavenly. The eat-all-you-can is not the usual buffet type. The salad, of course, is served first along with the bread and spreads.The leaves and fruits and nuts are served separately so you can create your own salad. They replenish whatever it is you want to get replenished. When you're done, then they would serve the pasta, you can also create your own pasta meal with the different sauces. They also replenish everything that you want. Cool! But I didn't get to enjoy it much coz I ate a lot, and I mean a lot, of salads already. So this is great if you are on a diet, really. But I was told that the menu do not change very frequently, so it's not advisable to eat lunch there every now and then. You might want to go back there after a couple of months to see a different menu.  This photo above is that of the rest room in the restaurant my friends and I really liked. The capiz, wood, and curtains are all nostalgic Filipino. Meanwhile, the tea that they serve after the meal, fresh tarragon leaves, can be bought from their herbs garden. I bought myself a basil, tarragon, and mint. I'll put up my own herbs garden, just wait and see.
The things I fell for in this amazing place are its romantic nooks such as this one. So fairly tale-like. So many photos were taken in this area alone. Come and see Sonya's Garden for yourself. Bring along your special someone, it's a place meant for the romantic. If not, bring your friends along, or family perhaps, it's a nice place to experience. But remember, it's a quiet place, let's keep it that way when we visit. Cheers!

Day in the gardens

By now you'd probably know how fond I am with nature, plants, gardens, flowers...The gardens along Daang Hari Road in Molino, Bacoor is one of my favorite sites in our new place. It's where I got all those indoor plants I've been photographing all this time. I went to buy some more indoor plants and flowering ones.

Make more green

My potted indoor plants are growing and multiplying. It’s about time to trim and create more li'l versions out of ‘em.  Let’s see if I have that green thumb my dad, God bless his soul, have had. I’m after all a farmer’s daughter, so this should be effortless.  I’m enjoying the calm and fresh feeling of having indoor plants in random places in the house - on top of the fridge, by the flush tank, in the corner of the living room, on the lower shelf of my console table, on the upper part of my bedroom shelf...by the kitchen window...beside the TV...lots of greens all around. I just love it!

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Timeless treasures at the thrift shop

These days, it isn't easy to find things that of good quality but great value for money. But with a little more effort in looking and really sorting through items, one can have a great advantage going to thrift shops rather than buying new ones from say the mall or the furniture store.  With the right timing and a dose of luck, you can really get items such as furniture and accessories that are priceless. I have been going with my bestfriends to thrift shops recently, we were looking for a 6-seater table made of solid narra wood. My bestfriend needed a table that goes with her narra chairs, such pricey inheritance from her ancestors, because they are moving to a new house. Because she had been moving around asking lots of people already, she kinda learned quite a lot about the stuff she needs including the prices. Usually, the price of a solid narra table would range from 20,000  to 30,000 but she got hers for only about 16,000. It's a good bargain for such a rare and valuable piece. And there's so much more than furniture that are worth visiting in thrift shops. There are decors, chinaware, and collectors items such as the Elvis Presley doll (shown in the photo below). There are also lamps, chandeliers, signature bags and women's accessories, all pre-loved of course. These photos shown are those from thrift shops in Hen. Hizon Street in Bangkal, Makati - you might want to check it out.

Ailing green revolution

My indoor plants are suffering due to an apparent lack of TLC. They're either devoid of sunlight, turning all yellow lacking chlorophyll, or soaking under the rain. Even so, they never fail to brighten up my mornings. Green is always in, so refreshing. My aim for this year is to turn my balcony into a den of indoor plants - so I can zest up boring corners of the house.

In the backyard

It was just me wanting to calm myself down when I am feeling frantic because of some deadlines or busy schedules coming my way - I went outdoors, in my backyard, got my camera and just did point and shoot at some random objects. Some of these were those of our tiny vegetable garden, other were just those of interesting things of nature, whose beauty we often take for granted. It was a good, inspiring break - just enough to get me back on my knees. 

Tiny balls of dew - makes me regret I didn't have a zooming lens.

Green camote grows like a wild fire in the backyard.

The red camote that continues to go on and on even after cutting it all down.

 Heart strings in my neighbor's doorstep, (they haven't moved in yet). Their kitchen is about to turn into a mini-forest now.

The wonder plant "saluyot" above. Our local chili plants never fail our "tinola".

This looks like a poor thing caught up in a web.

What to make of it?

Got an old fish bowl and don't know what to do about it? Aside from keeping this bulky bowl, which can surely eat up a lot of your closet space,  you might want to use it to store your trinkets, hair pins, or beads. Better, use it to jazz up a corner, or an empty shelf. Add color to an all-white room like ours - collect dried flowers, or used potpourri, in assorted colors, and pile them up inside the bowl. I think it's cool!