Somewhat a Birthday Post

While browsing through the sent folder in my Gmail account, I found this:

Had to edit out some information because I'm praning about being stalked. :|

It was a little surprise I made for the husband on his 26th birthday (we just got engaged then).   I didn't know what to give him and we didn't have money since everything went to our wedding fund so I created a "site" for him where his family and friends can just post greetings instead. 

Too bad the chat box containing all the birthday wishes is not working anymore though.  I remember there were quite a number of messages from his loved ones there.  Could've been a nice online keepsake.  Oh well.

Now Jax's 31st birthday is just a few months away and  I want to do something different for him this time.  Last year was supposed to be our "year of celebrations" - our little dude turned one and it was both our big 3-0.  Marcus had a party and so did I.  However, he refused to celebrate in whatever way.  I remember we just spent the day at the mall buying some clothes for him and stuff for the house.  Sigh.  Now thinking about it made me a little guilty for not pushing harder.

AJ's not really the let's-have-a-party type and his wish lists are always impractical or over-the-top expensive so it has always been a challenge to gift him with something he would actually enjoy.  I guess it's that time of the year again to get creative with what to do.  Any suggestions?

Entourage Baby

Just a quick post to inspire me to work today...

A few months ago, my little dude played ring bearer to one of hubby's high school friends.  We were sure he'd walk down the aisle just fine and he did not disappoint!  No forcing, wailing whatsoever needed.  His dad just asked him to walk towards mommy (I was at the far end taking photos) and he just did.

 

I was so proud I wanted to cry! 

This wasn't the first time he was part of an entourage though as he was the ring bearer during my brother's wedding in 2010.  However, I'm sure you can compare above photo with this:

 

He was just 10 months here and obviously cannot walk yet.  The initial plan was for us to put him on his stroller and for his dad to just push the him through.  However, I ended up being the "bearer of the ring bearer" since I carried him through the entourage march. Lol!

Marcus has another stint lined up next year for our friends' wedding (which I am also coordinating) and I can't wait to play stage momma again.  Hopefully next time though his barong would sit perfectly on his shoulders.

Giordano in Paseo

Yes, Giordano now has an outlet store here in Paseo de Sta. Rosa.  Another addition to my mental must-drop-by list whenever we’re in the area (which is at least once a week)!  

Last Sunday, we decided to take Marcus out for a ride on his bike.  Usually, we’d go to Solenad 1 in Nuvali but recently it’s getting crowded on weekends so for a change we went to Paseo instead.  Am I glad we did because I learned, thanks to this girl carrying an attention-grabbing bright orange paper bag, that Giordano is finally open!  

They have a lot of jackets, jeans, polo shirts, long sleeves, shorts, and shirts. I liked that they have quite a range of sizes unlike in other stores on sale where there are just broken sizes and stocks are very limited.  There were a variety of colors and designs and cuts.

Polo shirts were P400 to P425 each, shirts for P350, and shorts for P600 up.  There were chinos being sold for just P500 but Jax couldn’t find the perfect fit for him.  

Good thing little dude wasn't on hyper mode so we were able to buy a few items while he went around bobbing his head to the music and playing with these belts.

Next time I’ll share the rest of the outlet shops that we are enjoying here in the south. There's so much more! :)

Artsy Fartsy Mommy

I am not artistic.  Unless maarte is considered artistic, then fine, I am super artistic. 

Just to give you an idea... In gradeschool, I would get disqualified from getting an eagle (that's how it's called in CSA - you get a gold, red, or blue eagle depending on your average) because I'd have a C in Art (and PE!).  I can count with one hand the number of times my art work was ever displayed in our class bulletin board.

BUT for a so not artistic person, I'm one hell of a trying hard.  Hahaha!

Since I promised weeks ago that I'd be an awesome maker (and kick-ass-my-mom's-the-best mother to my little dude), I decided to get a little artsy by personalizing my son's school stuff.

I gave Marcus' ordinary and boring notebook-diary with a little more attitude.

I made this with the help of foam stickers which I got from the scrap booking section of National Book Store.  It was so simple to do!  (Is this even considered being artsy? Hahaha!) I just had to concentrate hard enough to get the perfect spacing and  alignment.

I also made a monogram for Marcus.  I wanted him to have his own little logo which we'll use to label all his things and maybe use even for gift cards, etc.  This is what I managed to come up with:

I thought his logo won't be complete without a red car because he really likes Lightning McQueen and it's one of the first words he uttered so I sort of forced it there.  Do you think it's off?

One of these days I really hope I could get my hands on his scrap book and all the other projects I'm planning.  Wish me luck!

Proof of Wedding

After three years and eight months, we finally got our wedding album and video!  Yayyyyy! I remember including this task in my random list of things to do way back 2009 and now it's finally here!   

The reason for this delay was mainly because I had a hard time selecting photos (there were too many nice shots to choose just 200!)  I only managed to complete it last year (yes, when Marcus was already 1.5 years old!) plus there were some miscommunications with the exchange of emails.  Anyway, I'm just glad that it's here because I got scared when I heard that our supplier's office in Marikina was affected by Ondoy two years ago.  Good thing they were able to save their files or else... yikes! 

Let me share how the final products looked like.

It came with a soft cloth bag, which is good because it's heavy!

The secondary packaging is a black leather case.

Inside the leather case is another soft cover to protect it from scratches.

The album cover

My favorite spreads:

I like the craftsmanship and texture of every page.  It just does justice to every photograph, sending me down memory lane to one of the happiest days of my life. :)

And now on to the video.  I did not expect much because:

1. This was taken ages ago when, unlike now, movie-like editing and HD wasn't the standard yet
2. We understood the forte of this supplier was really more of photography, not videography (although I've seen their videos recently, which have improved and may easily compete with the latest trends in SDE's)

Yes, it wasn't mind-blowing-great as predicted, but I love how this part of the video captured the first few moments we spent after our wedding ceremony.  Aaaaaah.. wish I could have that body again. Lol!

The proof that our wedding actually happened is still not yet complete.  We are yet to claim our framed portrait and unedited video but hey, we were able to wait three years so what's another month? Hahaha!

Me the Wedding Planner

I've been wanting to start an events planning (weddings in particular) business since the time I was planning for my own wedding more than three years ago.  However, I did not take it as seriously as I should have and never got friends who trusted me enough to be their wedding coordinator.  Until this year, that is!  Haha!  Meet my first two "clients":

Arlene + Brian

11.25.2012

Armie + Jayson

05.18.2013

Will blog about my experiences as wedding planner extraordinaire as we go along.  For the meantime, I hope these couples know what they're getting themselves into, entrusting me with one of the most memorable events of their lives. 

Kidding!  I'm so honored to be part of your weddings, guys.  Let the full on planning begin! :)

I Wish I Was Better At These

Being a working mom and wife, there are a lot of things at home I wish I could do (or at least learn to) but do not have the luxury of time to.  I admit I have never been as domesticated as I wanted to.  I was starting to attempt to be one when Jax and I got married three years ago but I got pregnant, went full time with Marcus for a while, went back to my crazy work after my maternity leave, and well, forgot about it all together.  Hihi.

So, inspired by the training I had earlier today and the guilt I feel once in a while for being too lazy, I decided to revive my little goal to be the awesome (read: Martha Stewart meets the Stepford Wife) homemaker I've always wanted to be.  These are some of the stuff I want to get started with:

1. Photobooks for my little dude's milestones
2. Efficient and sustainable document system for our financial accountabilities
3. Creative learning activities through play (which must be consistent with the curriculum from Marcus' toddler school)
4. Compilation of healthy menu options (by subtly injecting veggies or fruits) for the picky eaters in the house (which includes me! haha!)
5. Decorative frames for the few family photos we have
6. An "idea book" for all my inspirations and dreams

Wish me luck!