Monday, July 31, 2017

Jami at School

You know I am really excited with this new milestone.



Jami is now officially a student! Hahaha! How I wish I could bring him to school everyday but I can't. We have a long way to go before I can become a stay-at-home Mom.

Our first week at school was a struggle. Jami doesn't participate in singing and discussion. He loves to run around, minsan humihiga pa sa sahig or worst, binubuhat ang mga upuan. Of course I was kinda sad and thought na baka masyado ko syang minadali. At first mejo pine pressure ko sya ng slight to listen to teacher etc. Then I felt bad kasi nga first week pa lang talaga ng school eh. Hahah!

I realized that I would have to let him be. Masyado pang mahilig mag play probably because the environment is new to him. We never get a chance to join a summer school since it's not being offered by the school he went to. Although I am confident that he knows the basic and can socialize when he feels like it, I am still worried that he might have an overwhelming feeling regarding this new experience.

I am just really glad that all of my worries was just a first time mommy scares. I am truly confident now that we are on track. After a month of going to school, ako pala ang mao-overwhelm with the amount of things that Jami knows. They did plenty of activities in their books and I am so proud to see perfect scores most of the time. So far, he had 2 mistakes over all activities they did. Sabi ni Nanay sobra naman daw ako maka push to make his scores perfect. But for me, mag aachieve ka na lang, bakit yung hindi pa perfect? If hindi naman maging perfect, just as long as he did his best, then we could try again next time. For me, I want Jami to learn to have a higher goal and achieve it than accept mediocre things when he knows he could have done more. I want him to continuously challenge himself. =)



We had our first exam week last week and I was really shocked na may pa exam na agad si teacher. Haha! I felt slightly nervous because exam na yun eh. I know Moms have tendencies to protect na kung pwedeng tayo na lang ang gumawa pero syempre we can't always help them. A lot of things should be done by themselves and it's necessary to train them this young.

In just a month ang dami na agad nilang na i discuss including the living and non-living things.


A post shared by Jen Alipio (@its_mommy_jen) on

From time to time, nag rereview din kami ng dinidiscuss nila sa school and everyday when I come home from work, I always ask him on what they did for the day. Automatic na din yan that he'll get his bag to show me his books.

I know we have a lot more to learn but seeing him improve really moves me. Ang sarap pala ng feeling that they have take homes from all those experiences. Last weekend, I asked him if happy ba sya sa school and he said Yes. I also asked the names of his friends. He mentioned Brandon and Iya daw.

Anyhow, in the coming days we will have our nutrition month parade and I'll be the one to go with him sa parade. Syempre stage mother tayo ng slight eh. hehe! I just need a costume for it or else we'll go with a hat with Glow Food then P.E uniform na lang. =D

Kayo ba? What are your school activities so far?
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Friday, July 14, 2017

Our Jami Started Going to School

The year 2017 offered a lot of things to us. It's a combination of good and bad but still, I am so thankful that we can manage everything.

One of the good things that happened halfway thru the year was Jami going to school for the first time.

I am so excited!!!!!!!

I even planned to save a certain amount for a starter but something came up so we didn't keep that same amount after all. I was sad pero I am so grateful for our families for helping us throughout.

Despite of the struggle, it didn't stop us to continue our new milestone!



Jami is 3 years old, turning 4 this year so I have decided to send him to school. He was a candidate for Nursery 1 since he didn't get any school experience before. I tried looking for schools that offers a summer program for incoming Nursery student but most of the schools around our place don't have one. =(

How we chose the School


Quite frankly, I didn't have much option because we have limited amount of money. I don't even want to spend a fortune at this early stage so I was looking for a school that can give us quality education without creating havoc to our wallets.

My qualifications for choosing the school were:

  • Near our House - This is very important for me since I don't want Jami to get tired of commuting this early. Besides, with all the bad things that happens everywhere, nakaka trauma so gusto ko yung tipong walking distance lang from home. It's cost cutting somehow since I don't want to pay for tuition fee then pay for Jami's fare pa.  

  • Good Education Background - Of course we wanted to send our kids to school na hindi naman sila pababayaan and sure na meron matututuhan. I also want a school where there will be more than 1 teacher in a classroom so they can attend to each students' need.

  • Not too Expensive - with all the private school that's coming here and there, you have to know which school will offer you quality but cheaper naman ng konti diba? I heard pre-schools in Makati charges 30k-40k for a Nursery student! Imagine?? I can't pay that much even maging installment pa. I know we want the best education for our kids but it doesn't mean I have to pay that much naman. Probably when Jami's in elementary, mejo ma accept ko pa ng mejo masakit sa dibdib at katawan. hahahaha! 

Those are the top 3 things that I am looking for so I started searching for schools near our place. I have an officemate who's a pre-school teacher before and I asked about some things to be mindful of. All along I have this 3 school that are all walking distance away.

The first school I have in mind is a really big school with college students na din meaning it was really expensive talaga, around 40k na din in total. The second school was nearer but it was a small school. They offered Pre-school only and they have one room for nursery and kinder with different schedule.The last one is a day care center pero tatawid pa ng highway and I was kinda 50-50 on that kasi ayaw ko nga ng tatawid ng highway. Nakakapraning kaya with all those big trucks and buses diba! You'll never know.

So ending, we choose school number 2. Although it was a small school, it's cheaper compared to school 1 and a lot closer to our home. Jami doesn't have to cross the highway and that I heard good reviews from other moms about the quality of education from school 2. Anyway, I don't want to send him to school na sobrang expensive tapos hindi ko naman kayang bayaran diba? Or yung hirap na hirap naman akong mag commit sa expenses. I am sure it wouldn't be a very nice experience especially for Jami when he has to stop going to school because we can't afford or he would not take exams because wala pa akong pera to pay for his tuition fee. That'll break my heart big time kaya dun lang kami sa kaya ng bulsa namin ni Daryl. Hehe!



During summer, I went there to pay the reservation fee and saw our neighbor's kid. He was enrolled in a 1-1 tutorial class that the teacher's offered for their students. I was surprised that our neighbor can read! Matanda lang sya ng more than a year kay Jami and he only started school last year pero nakakabasa na sya in tagalog! I was so surprised, naalala ko kasi parang grade 3 na ako natuto mag basa hahahahaha!




Our tuition fee is quite reasonable and they have a very affordable installment plan. They charge for books separately along with school uniforms. We bought our own notebooks and the rest of Jami's school things from Robinson's and National bookstore.

I am looking forward to have a positive experience here in this school! =)

What about you Mommas? How did you choose your kids' school?
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Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Circle Inn Hotel in Ilo-ilo

After our tiring day in Gigantes Island, we headed straight back to Ilo-ilo City where our accommodation for the night is waiting. We reached the city at around 2 to 3pm. Since we didn't get the chance to eat breakfast nor lunch on our way back to the city, we decided to eat in Jollibee along the way.

I would say, I missed Jollibee because I had a hard time with our food in Gigantes. I am not a fan of seafood so there was a slight struggle on that. Hahah! Don't get me wrong, I want to be as adventurous when it comes to food pero minsan, di ko talaga keri. Lol!

Anyway, Circle Inn Ilo-ilo is located near Ilo-ilo market and Ortiz wharf which was our entry point to Guimaras. My sister did the research and booked the place for us.

We were really tired after our trip from Gigantes so I was really looking forward to a much decent hotel we could stay. I cannot bear another disappointing hotel at that point (read here). I was really glad to see that the lobby looked homey and maaliwalas. It was a plus that they have a pool where the kids could enjoy. My sister checked us in while we gather our things. It costs us Php1,200/room.

We were given rooms in third floor so after we got hold of the key, umakyat na ako agad! Sobrang tiring talaga. Our original plan is to make  it to Guimaras for a half day tour then continue the next day. I guess we don't have enough energy to continue so it was a right move to take the half day off.

Circle Inn Hotel Lobby



This was just outside their lobby. They serve breakfast here, I think. We didn't take their breakfast anymore due to lack of time. We have to be really early for Guimaras the next day. On the left side of this photo was where their swimming pool is.






The kids enjoyed swimming here for an hour or two after we arrived while I got myself busy online. I had full day yesterday with no phone signal. Besides, the hotel's wifi has a good connection.


Our room!








I just realized now na wala pala akong photo of the bathroom. Hahah!

Anyway, I could say that I am satisfied with the room.

  1. It's big with comfy beds and pillows. 
  2. TV works fine with Sky Cable service provider.
  3. Complimentary coffee and tea.
  4. Clean rooms, restrooms, towels and bed.
  5.  They also provided clothes hanger and safety box inside the cabinet. 
  6. Wifi unit given to us upon check-in.
  7. In the heart of Ilo-ilo City. Walking distance to the market place and Ortiz wharf: your entry point to Guimaras. 
I am hoping they could improve on:
  1. No bidet.
  2. Broken exhaust fan on room 301.
  3. Air conditioning unit takes time to cool down the room. As in! 
The room key is attached to a key card that you have to insert on a panel upon entry to get the electricity running. Di ko kasi alam ang tawag dun. Haha! So when we left for dinner, we have to close down everything including the AC. When we got back to rest, it took 3-4 hours before the room felt cool. Although we had a good night sleep in our room despite of the AC, my sister's room wasn't cold at all even after overnight. They have to move the beds where the AC is to be comfortable. My nephew knocked on our door to sleep in our room that night. We were too lazy and tired to ask for another room because all we want to do is to recharge for another day of traveling.

I was thinking, they could have placed the AC where the bed is specially kung hindi naman lumalamig ang unit. Their ac units are placed across the door going out the room so kapag pumasok ka, akala mo malamig na but when you lie down sa bed, grabe! Joke lang pala yung lamig. Haha!

Well then, I would still say that I am happy with our stay even there were slight 'needs improvement section'.  The lady in the reception was accommodating too and they also allowed my sister to pay half day to extend the room use until 5pm.


The Circle Inn Hotel & Suites
Gov Fermin Caram St, Iloilo City Proper, 
Iloilo City, 5000 Iloilo, Philippines
+6333508 0000
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Wednesday, July 5, 2017

My 27th Birthday

Two weeks ago, we celebrated my 27th birthday!

Grabe! In 3 years time, 30 years old na ako! It feels weird thinking about it. Hahaha!

Anyway, we had a very simple birthday celebration. Alam nyo naman, hindi ako fan ng mga bonggahan with matching madaming bisita type of birthdays so it was just me, Daryl and Jami who went out after office hours.

Honestly, this is the first time that I worked on my birthday. For the past 9 years, I always celebrate my birthday at home. Automatic yan, naka leave ako from work. For me, birthdays are to celebrate with family. This year was different and it felt weird. Tumatanda na ata talaga ako! Hahaha!

I went to work just so I could earn more leave credits. Halos sagad kasi ako and it was only half of the year. I know we still have plenty of time to celebrate after work so I opted not to go on leave.

So after work, I went to pick the boys up from Ma Belen's house. We were deciding where to eat at that point but the original plan was to try those Buffet restaurant like Vikings. I don't eat in places like these because I find it a waste of money. I don't eat a lot so hindi maluwag sa dibdib ko ang magbayad ng almost Php1,000 just for less than a plate of food. I think my birthday is an exception since I am free while I only have to pay for Daryl. He eats a lot so sulit talaga. I am just trying to convince myself that Php300 is worth to pay for Jami's head but I really felt na hindi makatarungan. Hehe!

Although I am not very willing to pay for the amounts of these buffet resto, I am very welcome with experiences specially when I am with my family so maybe once in our lifetime, we could try. I thought my birthday was the perfect date but when we were talking about it on our way to the mall, nag back out ako because I really felt it was a waste of money.

We asked Jami what he wanted to eat because we really can't decide.

Me: Jami what do you want to eat?

Jami: Hmmmm...

Me: Spaghetti? Chicken?

Jami: Hmm.. No!

Me: What about Pizza?

Jami: Yess.. Pizza, Pizza!

So we finally settled to Shakey's. Unfortunately, mejo maliit yung branch nila in Mall of Asia so we have to wait in line for our turn. Even so, I was glad with their service and the food, of course.

We ordered the combos with pizza, pasta, chickens and mojos for Php1,300. It was a filling meal, we even had food to take home.




We inquired about their freebie for a birthday celebrant but you have to be a card holder for you to get a pizza. Their card costs Php499 (same as the large pan pizza you'll get as a celebrant) which will automatically give you 10% discount for your purchase. However, we decided not to get the card since it won't be economical to get a large size pizza with a card then shell out Php499 for one time. I couldn't tell if we will eat in Shakey's quite a lot so a discount card will be of no use.




At some point, some of their crew approached a table near us and sang happy birthday. Jami was looking forward to that! Haha! He might be thinking they were singing because of me, lol!

Anyway, I really love this kind of birthday - with family. That's all I could ask for. It's practical than celebrating with a lot of people. I never got used on getting too much attention on my birthday. Nahihiya kasi ako, lol! So yeah, I prefer my birthday's to be this special. =)

Looking back, I can't believe that for the past 5 years of my life, I did something new.

At the age of:

22, I was introduced with traveling. I considered it my "most traveled year so far".

Nov 2012 at Malacanang of the North

23, I became pregnant and a Mom to Jami.


24, I became an entrepreneur and managed my first online business.


25, I learned the basics of baking and started earning money thru it.


26, I overcame the fear of biking.



I can't believe I had some progress made. It was worth tracking them. Minsan akala ko, boring na ang buhay and paulit-ulit na ang ginagawa ko. Yun pala, I am making these small progress and I am a better version of me. Na- amaze ako! =D I was looking forward to doing or learning something new this year!



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