Monthly Archives

July 2016

Lunch & Dessert with Friends at Tiny Kitchen

I’m actually on a diet but last Saturday, I just had to have a cheat day.

(I am not even losing weight yet and I already had a cheat day. Something’s not right lol!)

Anyway, the reason behind the obligatory cheat day was a pre-planned lunch date with my work colleagues. I would say we felt like catching up but, really, we were just craving for cheesecake. Yummy, creamy, delicious cheesecake. Yikes!

Photo grabbed from Jona

Two things to notice: first, Yuri’s photobombing face, and second, my round face. Ugh.

Because we wanted cheesecake, it was obvious that we would go for Tiny Kitchen. And here’s what we ordered:

Strawberry Blush (P120)

Yuri’s Frito *rolls eyes* (P175)

Sarah’s Chorizo y Tomate (P230)

14 Comments

July 29, 2016 by Maan

Homeschooling Lifestyle Preschool Science Experiments

How to Make Oobleck: The Not Quite Liquid, Not Quite Solid Slime

On weekends, we do science experiments!

Ideally, we should be doing science experiments on Fridays since it was what I wrote in our original homeschool schedule. However, I kinda feel bad for letting Yuri do school work on a Friday especially when all the other kids in the village are already playing in the playground.

(Note: Our homeschool session begins at 4 pm after my work ends.)

So on Fridays, I just let Yuri play or, in the case of the past 2 weeks, let him come with his iya (lola) to the mall to do some grocery shopping. Then on weekends, when we have afternoons free, we spend some time doing simple science experiments AKA magic!

Our most recent experiment? The Oobleck! It’s a kind of slime (named after a Dr Seuss character) that is not quite liquid and not quite solid. It is liquid in its relaxed state but, when you apply pressure unto it, it turns solid. My junior high school sister had performed this experiment at school in the past and was really eager to recreate it at home with me and Yuri. Cool beans!

Ingredients:

Water
Corn Starch
Container (we used a heart-shaped pan for the cuteness factor but you can use anything at all)
Food Colouring (optional)

21 Comments

July 25, 2016 by Maan

Lifestyle Messy Haul Online Shopping Shopping

Messy Haul: 2 Super Sulit Finds from Lazada

I honestly don’t know how many times I order online in a month.

(And I am supposed to renounce all forms of shopping to save money. But don’t worry; this parcel I ordered early this month pa.)

I pride myself on being able to spot bargain finds a mile away, but I was especially pleased with these 2 things I ordered from Lazada because even I couldn’t believe they cost so little! Here they are:

1. Crayola Color and Draw Kit with Free Enfagrow A+ Four Powdered Milk Drink 350g

We’re homeschooling this year, and one thing that I learned from our first month of doing so is that you can never have enough art materials. Which is why I’m always looking for good deals when it comes to them. I was randomly browsing the Crayola section at Lazada when I saw I think four different art sets. That wasn’t extraordinary in any way, but I also noticed that all of them came with a free Enfagrow A+ milk.

Formula milk was actually not a staple at home, but I’ve been giving preschooler milk to Yuri ever since he started having frequent nosebleeds. I was concerned because what if his nose bleeds during his class in Eye Level and I wasn’t there? Formula milk had higher iron content than ordinary milk (please correct me if I’m wrong), and now the nosebleeds are almost totally gone.

Anyway, my eyes grew huge when I read the words “Enfagrow” and “free.” Free milk, everyone! And the contents of the art kit were not bad either. Lookie!

The Crayola Creative Box, a Crayola Marker & Watercolor Pad, and a free box of Enfagrow Four A+

Marker & Watercolor Pad, Mighty Marks washable marker, Crayola washable glue, Crayola washable crayons, Crayola washable kids’ paint, and 6 pieces Crayola pencils

14 Comments

July 21, 2016 by Maan

Friends Lifestyle Places Review

A Night At Camella Northpoint Condominium: Our AirBNB Experience

A month ago, we surprised our “super-friend” with a baby shower.

We originally wanted to book a hotel room for it, but the rates were too high (at least for me because I volunteered to shoulder half of the rate hehe). Because I was the self-proclaimed gala organiser of our group, I tried to look for cheaper options. I tried searching for cheaper hotels but either they lacked a swimming pool or the rooms were too tiny.

Until I decided to look for a condominium unit through AirBNB.

I have had an account with AirBNB for I think 3 years now, but I’ve never used it. But when I tried to look for condo units in our city (Davao City), I was surprised at how many choices there were for all budget ranges. I immediately spotted several ads that fit my budget and, at the same time, were pretty enough for a baby shower.

I booked a 2-bedroom condo unit at Camella Northpoint for, guess what, just P2,500 a night! Continue Reading

20 Comments

July 18, 2016 by Maan

Money Matters WAHM Diaries

Help! I’m Living Beyond My Means

This is all so foreign to me.

I mean, I used to run a regular Finance Fridays column in my old blog, Davao Mommy. I used to spew all kinds of financial wisdom — from technical stuff like investing in stocks or mutual funds to life concepts like being contented and living beneath one’s means.

I know we used to live way beneath our means. Despite paying for the amortisation of a house and lot, we were still able to set aside ample emergency fund.

Things are different now. We’re no longer paying for amortisation (we actually withdrew our application and, with the refunded payment, bought a bigger lot just outside the subdivision). I am no longer freelancing and have been working as a full-time employee for a year now, and Job is in Riyadh. Ideally, we should have been saving more because the income is more regular, but the bitter truth is, our savings account are stagnant.

Well, it’s funny how regular salary gives you a false sense of security. I thought we were doing okay, financially, until I took the time last weekend to assess how we were really doing.

The Hidden Expenses

20 Comments

July 15, 2016 by Maan

Lifestyle Places Resort Review Summer Summer Destinations

Summer’s Last Hurrah at Banana Beach

A little more than a month ago, just before June started, we had our huling hurit sa taginit in Banana Beach, Tagum City.

We were there on a daytour but we made the most out of it because summer was almost over! Wow, I do miss summer a bit. While I’m enjoying the rainy season now, I miss the carefree days of the past season.

Anyway, I digress. One of the most popular beach resorts in Davao Region (aside from the numerous resorts in Samal Island – which, by the way, is not under the jurisdiction of Davao City) is Banana Beach. I’m not 100% sure but I heard it is owned and/or managed by the same owner as Eden Nature Park. I’ve always been intrigued about Banana Beach but never found the time to go there, so this was a great opportunity.

I’ll show you Banana Beach through a photo story!

Tourist Center

Banana Beach has a tourist center where the visitors gather and lounge while the staff checks or makes their reservations. They have bananas free for everyone (at least, until the last piece is taken) and the lounge area is comfortable enough.

21 Comments

July 11, 2016 by Maan

Messy Haul Shopping

Messy Haul: Frugal Finds from Etude House and National Bookstore

In a previous post, I wrote about just how much we’re loving Eye Level Learning Center. Well, another thing I love about it is being able to choose our own schedule. We’re there Tuesdays and Saturdays at 10 am. Saturdays are a no-brainer because I have no work and we’re able to do our own “thing” after class.

Therein lies the problem.

SM Lanang Premier is just a couple of minutes away from Eye Level, which means it’s going to be a bit harder to resist a sale. Speaking of sale, Etude House went on sale last weekend. Being a self-confessed fanatic of all things Korean, I frequent Etude House, so of course, I went!

I worked on a minimal budget though (hashtag spending rehab) of, guess what, P500. I was so determined to stick to my budget but I went a little bit over huhu. Anyway, here’s what I got: Continue Reading

16 Comments

July 6, 2016 by Maan

Personal

A Joyful Mess is One

I didn’t even know my blog already turned 1 year old until I saw Facebook’s “On This Day” last Friday.

I don’t know why the featured image is not showing; it’s just my header though. Teehee.

I had blogged many years before I started blogging here, in Joyful Mess dot com. I’ve had DavaoMommy.com since 2012 (?) — it’s still up now but I haven’t touched it in a year.

Davao Mommy was doing well, honestly, but I just felt a need to start all over again because of three reasons: Continue Reading

25 Comments

July 4, 2016 by Maan