Vince's 3rd birthday at McDonald's - Kiddie Party 2022

A lot of things changed since the pandemic, including how we celebrate birthday parties for kids. Two years ago, Jollibee and McDonald's offered birthday party venues and packages, but these parties were restricted due to health protocols. 

With that two years passed and while the economy is starting to open again, I am so glad to hear that McDonald's finally opened its party venues at the start of the year. Although it wasn't our intention to celebrate grand parties this year because the boys are turning 3 and 9, it made me really excited to throw a small party for Vince. I remembered when Jami was the same age as Vince, he had two huge parties - Shakey's when he was 1 year old then Jollibee when he was 2 years old. I have decided that it's very timely that parties are already allowed for Vince to have a small celebration of his birthday too. So I think, it's his 1st to 3rd birthday in one. Hehe.

In May, I went to the nearest McDonald's branch in front of Robinson's Las Pinas but they said they don't offer parties yet. Super sayang because it was the closest to where we live. My next options are either in Pamplona or in front of SM Southmall. I have decided to visit the one in Pamplona since we have guests coming from Cavite and some other parts around the Metro and this is the closest to Las Pinas and Pasay/Cavite boundary. I also like this branch because they have a play area for kids (although still closed due to pandemic), Mccafe, drive-thru, and dining area, so basically a very busy branch. 

When we got there, a party has just finished so I had an idea what it will look like. I am unsure at this point as to how many people we'll invite but I opted for 50 heads. Family ko pa lang, 20 heads na so I gave 30 more for Daryl and common friends. I also chose package 2 which has Spaghetti and Chicken, regular fries, drinks, and hot fudge sundae. I also opted to serve the same food for kids and adults.

The downpayment is 2,000 pesos and they gave 30 invitation cards on the set of you paying for the downpayment. I remember during Jami's time, I think it was only 1,000 pesos but it was 8 years ago. Haha. I also chose merienda time of 3pm to 5pm. 

On the day of our party, we arrived just before 4pm and the crew was setting up the venue. It was a small venue but it was fine since we were expecting around 50 heads only. 

I like that they have a bench in front and a small chair for the celebrant alone. 

If you are from the South of Metro, you probably know how traffic is in Las Pinas especially on a Saturday afternoon so everybody was late, haha. Our guests started arriving at around 4:30pm. 

The venue can accommodate more than 100 guests in two venues together. We were given the smallest one since we are expecting only 50 pax.

The cake is from Little Bites Cupcakery. This is the second time that I ordered a cake from them pero first time kong nag order ng fondant. I will blog about Dwyane's 7th birthday and Vince's first birthday too in the coming days. I borrowed my sister's jars and bought cookies and candies in the grocery. 

Blowing of candles ng birthday celebrant. Just like the normal Jollibee/Mcdo party, they hosted 1 children's game and 1 adult game, then question and answer game tapos proceeded with blowing of candles and kainan na.

 

Binky, the birthday boy! 

Children's game

Adult game

Finally, I met these beautiful girls that I am working with since 2020. My virtual kamaritess hahaha

Walang matinong kuha, napakalikot ni Griffin! Haha

Chow time!!

Overall, it was a great experience since the pandemic. Once in a while masarap din yung maranasan mo yung mga bagay noon diba? Although be very careful pa rin kasi pandemic pa rin and Covid cases are still high. I was glad that I gave Vince the party he never had for his 1st birthday so after 4 years na ulit ang kasunod pag 7 nya. Hehe. 

Father's Day at SM By The Bay, Mall of Asia

So it's the other half of 2018 and long over due pa rin ang posts ko! hahah!

Today, I am sharing our Father's Day escapades. It was unplanned actually but we all enjoyed the time we spent with each other before the school year starts.

Our plan was to eat out and buy Jami's school shoes for this school year. His old one no longer fits. We were very lucky to inherit the shoes from kuya Third, not to mention the brand, it was barely used. I was hoping we can still use it this year dahil sobrang maayos pa pero masakit na sa paa ni Jami. =(

Anyway, Daryl raised an idea in going to SM Mall of Asia to break our routine. Lagi kasi kaming sa SM Southmall so since Father's Day din naman, I said yes. We arrived after lunch so we looked for a place to have our super late lunch. We chose Tokyo-tokyo. Mejo madami na kasing gutom si Daryl so perfect ang unlimited rice. Haha!

Okonomiyaki and Sumo Meals

After our super filling meal, Daryl treated us with rides in SM by the Bay. I found out na sobrang dami na pala talagang rides dun, naging theme park na din halos. Perfect for family weekend bonding din ang place, mejo madami nga lang ang tao madalas.

I have been wanting to try the Moa Eye ever since. Although it won't be my first time since we rode the Sky eye in Sky Ranch Tagaytay, I still want to experience the one in Moa. There were booths just below the attraction where you can buy your tickets. Each ticket costs Php150 per head. Children 3 feet and below are free of charge. Jami's around 4 feet so we paid full amount for him. The line wasn't that long when we were there so after 15 minutes of waiting, we had our ride.

I would say na mejo luma na rin, ilang taon na rin naman kasi tong nakatayo. Some parts became rusty na although I felt safe while riding naman. The view of the city and the sea was nice too. Mas perfect if we made it before the sunset. However, it was raining the past few days before the day we went there so it's kinda cloudy, hindi tuloy kita ang beautiful sunset by the bay.

We also tried some of the rides, I just forgot what they are called pero sobrang expensive. Each ride costs Php 80-150 for only 5-10 minutes! =(

We saw Bumper Car which we want to try sana kaso sobrang haba ng pila. I bet Jami would love the driving part pero not the waiting in line part. Hahah! Nag proceed na lang kami sa ibang rides.

Our last stop was the games area. Sobrang expensive din. Each game costs Php 100-200 talaga eh! Jami tried the duck game where you have to catch 2-3 ducks and you should score 5-10 points to get a bigger stuffed toy.

He got less than 5 points kaya eto lang!

He named him Mr. Chicks! =)

Overall, ang mahal talaga sa SM by the Bay. It was worth a try but definitely not going to come back for these rides/games anytime soon.=)

Just before the dark kicks in, we decided to buy the shoes. We went to the department store to look for the perfect shoes. I realized mahal na talaga ang bilihin ngayon ano?! School shoes ranges from Php400-2,500 na talaga eh! Grabeng inflation! Anyway, we looked for several shoes that fits in with our budget kaso hindi ko type because of the quality. I am so glad we found one, however we went over the budget. Looking at the difference, I bet this is worth it versus those that are within our budget. Mukhang madali kasing masira, hindi nakatahi, or yung mga tipo ng shoes na nagbabakbak. I am just hoping this would last long. Haha!

Happy mid-week everyone! =)

PNR or Philippine National Railways and What to Expect

Last week, I celebrated my 28th birthday! =)

I can't believe it! Ang bilis lang talaga ng panahon. There were days that I think of me as the 20 years old young, dumb and broke version! hahaha.

Anyway, just like last year, I didn't file a day off from work. I actually went half day just so we could have a blowing of candles at home. Daryl bought cakes the night before to surprise me in the morning! Ang sweet ng Babe ko na to! Hahah =)

He actually asked me to choose the cake that he'll buy but I was torn with Mary Grace's chocolate cake and black velvet nila. There's a Mary Grace Cafe branch in Naia Terminal 3 kaya nakabili sya. Na surprise naman ako na dalawa talaga ang binili nya for me. =)

I woke up early then woke Jami and Daryl up so they could sing me happy birthday song! Lol! Haha. Yun din naman ang instruction ni Daryl the night before, gisingin ko daw sya pagka gising ko. I cooked them breakfast and ate the chocolate cake. We also bought Pansit ni Aling Lucy's Panciteria. Super mura kasi doon and masarap naman talaga. They only have 2 branches and bought are in Las Pinas. Good thing yung isang branch, walking distance lang from home so kayang- kaya bumili anytime na biglaan. We didn't plan anything grand for my birthday. Alam nyo naman, hindi talaga ako sanay ng mga bonggahan birthday. Laging birthday celebration at home with family and closest friends lang.

As a promise to myself last year, I planned on doing something new or experience new things yearly as much as possible. Regardless if it's big or small things so long as it's something new and helpful to me as a person. Lol! I actually can't think of anything else and doesn't want to spend a cent until one rainy day, I thought of doing something that I wished I have done years ago.

If you're living in the south of Metro Manila (e.g Las Pinas and Cavite), you are probably experiencing heavy traffic in Coastal Road given the improvements on the expressway. Sobrang traffic that the last straw was when I spent 3 hours on the road just to get home. It was the worst! I never dealt with that before and 2 hours of travel time is the longest that I can bare these days. I have a son whose waiting for me back home so I don't want to be staying on the road doing nothing while this could be used for a bonding moment with Jami or Daryl diba?

Anyway, a day before my birthday, I finally decided to try another route. Walking distance from the office building was a PNR station. I always think of PNR is worst than MRT. I can see their trains are old and rusty, over crowded and not well-maintained stations. However, I always wanted to try to ride someday and I guess that someday was the day before I turned 28th. I thought this will be a good additional experience for me.

I promised myself I’ll do and experience something new each year before saying goodbye to the old me. Paragliding ❌ Bungee Jumping ❌ Out of the country ❌ Hiking ❌ Riding PNR ✅ 🤣🤣 It may be a small thing, but it was a brand new feeling! I am a happy 27 year old woman! 👩🏻😊 #thrillseeker #ayearolder #imjbirthday #imjevent #imjcelebrations

A post shared by Jen Alipio (@its_mommy_jen) on Jun 13, 2018 at 5:10am PDT

I was so scared since I don't know what to expect. I heard a lot of horror story in the past about PNR like people living along the train tracks are throwing things (worst? Poop) on the train, a lot of pickpockets, mga ganyan! Hahaha! But I also had that exciting feeling na finally makakasakay na ako and I have something new to do. Sobrang babaw lang ano? But I made the right decision sa pag discover ng pagsakay sa train.

How was the experience? It was great actually. I have been riding the train since then. I have listed down the Pros and Cons.

Pros:

1. Cheaper. Yes! I am able to spare Php10 off my daily transportation budget which I can add on my expenses for the day or additional savings.
2. Since I get on and off their last station (Alabang), I always have some time to sit down before going off the train or save myself a seat and nap for 20 minutes before going to work.
3. Timely. They have a scheduled arrival and departure of trains. There were times na mejo late ng 2-10 minutes pero bearable naman compare sa MRT and LRT na hindi mo alam kung may darating ba o wala. Hahah!
*Edited - I actually experience a delay of 30 minutes. This was during heavy rain fall. 
4. Train Marshals. Yes! They have train marshals
5. Slightly bigger trains with overhead open cabins for your things. It will make it convenient for those that are standing kasi they could put their bags overhead para hindi masikip masyado.

Cons:

1. Crowded. Just like our other trains here in Manila (MRT and LRT), crowded din naman talaga but since they have wider trains, mas maraming kayang i accommodate. 
2. AC unit not enough. During times na sobrang crowded, the ac unit could not cool the train properly so mejo nagiging mainit sa loob but you are always welcome to open the windows. They have screens na so in case of emergency na may nangbato, hindi naman tatamaan yung mga pasahero.
3. Railways are not maintained. Since madaming nakatira sa paligid ng railway, I guess mahirap tuloy i maintain ang facility. Open area ang bawat stations although may guards naman, hindi din basta basta makakapasok ang mga hindi pasahero.
4. Due to settlers living near the train tracks, laging bumubusina yung train to let people know that it's coming. Minsan kasi, may mga bata talagang nag lalaro along the tracks kaya madalas may naaksidente. Most of the time maingay yung train due to constant honking.
5. Inaccessible during heavy rain fall. Since PNR has stations in Manila area which gets flooded easily (Espana), train gets delayed and worst, cancel it's scheduled arrival.

Above all these, I am quite happy with the experience and it was something I always look forward to nowadays. It's a perfect break from all those traffic and it makes my day interesting. I have been working in the same company for 4 years and finding new ways to transport is one of my way to make sure I am not bored on my daily routine. =)

Again, Happy Birthday to myself! A tap on the back for always being happy despite of the life trials! =)

Daryl's 29th Birthday

I was browsing through my old blog post specially those years na sobrang bata pa ni Jami (around 2015 and 2016). This is actually the best part of blogging because I can still read old stories of mine na totally forgotten! I am so thrilled everytime I read and reminds me of how our life has changed.

Anyway, I was looking into my posts in April and didn't find one for Daryl's 29th birthday!

Since it fell on a weekday, we decided to celebrate after work. Nagkataon kasi pareho kaming morning shift in April so we could have celebration over dinner. We went home together so we could buy food na lang as we don't have time to cook. We arrived in Las Pinas around 7pm.

Robinson's Las Pinas is just walking distance from home so we opted to buy fast food there rather than going to SM Southmall. Mejo traffic kasi going to Southmall although you will have plenty of food options talaga.

We bought Jollibee Spaghetti (in party size), Bucket of chicken, Family size pizza from Greenwich, a tub of ice cream sa grocery and a cake I bought in Conti's prior to going home. It was an intimate celebration but we loved it anyway! =)

We have another visitor that night, Bojo, Jami's playmate. They both sang happy birthday! Look how happy the boys are!

Of course hindi mawawala ang family picture plus 1. Hahah!

Nanay took this photo! Hehe. :)

Again, happy birthday babe! I know this wasn't like those you had when you were young but I am sure na hinding-hindi mo na ito ipagpapalit sa kahit ano man. Kumpleto kahit may lungkot at saya, basta ang mahalaga, sama-sama. Nyaks! hahaha! I wish you good health babe! Jami and I love you soooo much!

Mother's Day 2018

Hi everyone!

How did your Mother's day went?

So sorry for not blogging that much. Minsan wala lang talaga akong time o minsan, I don't know what to share. Haha!

Anyway, I tried reading back to see what we did for Mother's day in the last couple of years. I found out that I only started blogging about it since 2015, missed blogging about 2016 then had a wonderful and memorable 2017. This time, I want to make sure to blog about every special event that happened and will happen to us since it feels so nice reading back. I always feel surprise reading them all up. =)

So our Mother's day was nothing special this year. We stayed at home all day. Nakakatamad kasi maglalabas ngayon, super init talaga ng weather! Ang bilis pa naman makainit ng ulo when it's really hot!

I woke up at around 5:30 in the morning and found Daryl sweeping the floor. I realized nagbaha pala sa loob ng bahay namin! There were water everywhere! Sa sala until sa kitchen! Buti na lang, it didn't reach our room pa. We found out that the water pipe broke again. We had a water pipe going inside the house under our kitchen cabinets. There's a small hole in the cabinet where the pipe goes and that's the one that's leaking. We just had one fixed earlier that week. We thought that the pipe broke due to our ref being pushed to close to the wall. Later on we realized, that it was a rat whose actually causing the trouble! Could you imagine that? I actually spent Php800 just to fix the water pipe twice already in less than 7 days?!

Daryl said that there's a rat living in our kitchen cabinet whom might got bigger and was trying to get out in the same hole. Since he can no longer fit, yung way out is to break the water pipe! Grabe sobrang hassle! I was mad thinking how can a rat be so selfish! hahaha! Anyway, we had Dudut, the cat staying inside the house so at least she could trouble the mouse while working on the pipe again. I am hoping he would stop doing so dahil wala na akong budget to get it fix for the third time. =|

Pakitang gilas si Dudut the cat para kunyari nag hahanap ng rats pero ang totoo, lagi lang sya nakahilata. 🤣🤣🙄🙄#houserepair #wasakwallet #mothersday2018

A post shared by Jen Alipio (@its_mommy_jen) on May 13, 2018 at 8:28pm PDT

After the pipe repair, I cannot believe I was sweating a lot yesterday! I don't sweat so much even if I'm working out not unless yung mga tipong Aerobics talaga or dancing. I was wondering ganun ba kainit yesterday that I sweat this much when I wasn't in front of the fan.

😩😩😅😅 #imjweekends

A post shared by Jen Alipio (@its_mommy_jen) on May 13, 2018 at 12:30am PDT

We ended the day with an impromptu family post dinner na kanin pa din! hahaha! My sister and I met for paper works and treated us in Jollibee.

Impromptu Mother’s Day special 🤣 Pa jollibee ni mayora! 😂😂 Sayang wala ka, Dang! 😅😅 #imjweekends #mothersday2018

A post shared by Jen Alipio (@its_mommy_jen) on May 13, 2018 at 6:38am PDT

We had some take homes for Daryl because he didn't go with us anymore.

Anyway, our day was quite common but at least we prevent ourselves from spending so much on days like this. It was not in our budget for the month which I intentionally did. I didn't foresee the water pipe fix so our eat out budget has been used. We don't go out often these days to be honest because we are preparing for something big. Lols! Kidding.

So how did you get to celebrate our day, Momsh?

Jami's Nursery Moving Up and Recognition Day

Jami finally finished his Nursery year. He graduated on March 22nd, held at Cecile's Restaurant in Las Pinas. The school he went to was a small pre-school in our community so they don't have grounds/auditorium to held the event to. Their graduation fee was Php 1,900 inclusive of the kids meal after the event. I found it really steep actually since I don't remember paying this much during my time. Syempre nga naman, sa public school ako all my life. Anyway, I was told by a friend that she paid the same amount for her son during graduation so baka yun nga ang standard for private schools.

I took a leave from work just to witness this special day! It was a good thing that it was Daryl's off from work too so we had the chance to go together with no problem. I intended to arrive early since it's our fist time. The invitation stated that the event will start by 1pm, ni hindi man lang kami nakapag lunch. We bought one meal from a fast food nearby and waited for the event to start.

I am glad there were seats allocated for parents. Hindi nagkakagulo in finding a seat plus, walang mawawalan ng chairs. Each student were given two seats for their parents so if they brought additional person, they will be standing in the back unless there were seats that the venue could provide pa.

The ceremony started 30 minutes after everyone else settled down. Kids were seated in front while us parents were at the back. Kakatawa lang, I told Daryl na hindi ako sanay na nakaupo sa likod or middle because I am so used on my last name being letter A so I am always in front. Hahah! While waiting for the program to start, the teachers allowed the parents to take pictures on the stage.

I realized na mejo mahirap pala if you're a family of three no? It's either me and Jami on a photo, or Daryl and Jami. Challenging ang pag take ng photo with us 3 in it.

With teacher Jess

With Ms. Anne

The graduation ceremony started, giving out special awards and diplomas. I wasn't really expecting Jami to be the class first honor because he's really playful. During their practice days na sinamahan ko sya, I noticed that the teacher often calls him because he's playing with his seatmates. I think he somehow needs improvement on being quiet and focused haha! Kaya okay na okay na sa akin ang pagiging top 2 nya.

It was also a surprise to me and Daryl that he managed to get the 'Best in Mathematics' on their batch. Most of the time kasi, madalas kong ma ituro ang reading and language subject than Science and Math. I came to a realization that he wasn't that interested in Science as of yet. Maybe in the future I could review him more in Science especially in Math if dun pala sya mas nag eexcel.

Class' Salutatorian

Accepted his first diploma

 

One of the happiest day!

After the ceremony, the kids had one set of meal. Then off we went to SM Southmall to celebrate this special day. We decided to eat in Classic Savory and ordered their family meal. Super filling and budget friendly. We even had take home food after.

Family Picture muna bago kumain.

Set Meal 1 - Half Chicken, Corn and Crab Soup, Sweet and sour Fish Fillet, Pancit and 4 iced drinks.

I didn't know the feeling until I was there. Ganito pala ang makapag pa graduate ng anak. Super sarap ng pakiramdam. I was joking Daryl na nakapag patapos na kami. Hahahah! One year down, 17 years to go! Whew! Kelangan pa ng madaming madaming pasensya at pera.

Dear Jami,

Anak! Congratulations! You made it! Pa bonus mo na lang sa amin ni Daddy that you graduated with flying colors! I am the happiest Mommy and for sure Daddy feels the same. This is the result of our late night study time. When Mommy gets home from work, tayo naman ang maghaharap to check what you did at school and if you have assignments, or if exam/long quizzes, nag rereview tayo. Bale wala ang puyat and pagod. Pinalitan mo ng dalawang medal anak. Thank you and I hope you study well in the future. It wasn't your medals that defines you for who you are so don't feel the pressure. Just as long as I know you're doing your best, okay tayo jan, anak. We love you so much and we promise to work even harder. May God bless you and hear your prayers, my lovey! 

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Valentine's Dinner in Ramen Kuroda

So it's the end of February na pala! I lost track of time and didn't realize na hindi pala ako nakapag post ni isang entry sa blog for this month. Lol!

I need to learn time management. I easily get distracted so most of the time, hindi ko nagagawa yung mga dapat kong gawin. Hehe.

Anyway, what I really want to talk about was our Valentine's Dinner at Ramen Kuroda. Being a picky eater, I have very small selection of food that I like. However, as years pass by, I am more open in trying different food than those that are super familiar for me. I always hear my officemate talk about ramen and I wonder what's in it that makes them salivate for just thinking about it.

When Daryl asked me about our plan for the day, I immediately told him that we'll just eat ramen. I guess Daryl liked the idea since it will be another first for the both of us. I did some research of restaurants that we can go to along Pasay. It was our halfway point and it will be easier for us to go home. I also thought that there will be a lot of people going in malls, watching movies etc., so to avoid the crowd, we went to the newly opened Double Dragon Plaza near Blue Bay walk.

I have to choose between Ramen Kuroda and Ramen Metro which are both very near to jeepney terminals on our ride back home. I was also given by Zomato an option in Mall of Asia to try Ippudo and the rest I actually forgot.

Ramen Kuroda newly opened in Double Dragon Plaza around December or early this year along with other known fast food chains. We arrived just before 7pm which gave us ample time to settle down and find a good seat. The place was really nice and somehow gives you a Japanese feel. 

As I said, it was both our first time so looking on their menu gave us a hard time. Haha! I have no idea about ramen so I don't know which one I'll like. Good thing, I did some research so I pretty much had an idea on what to order by looking on their menu in Zomato plus asking questions to my officemates. Daryl and I ended up with their Set meal which includes rice meal, a solo ramen, seasonal fruit and hot tea. We added an iced tea for our drink to cap off everything.

Ramen Teriyaki Pork Don Set Php 320

Ramen Teriyaki Chicken Don Set Php 340

Iced tea costs Php50 pesos for one serving. By the way, you can choose which ramen to get along with your set meal. I got their Shiro Ramen while Daryl had the Aka ramen which the lady said was spicy pero it wasn't too spicy naman.

When the food arrived, we asked the waiter to take photos of us together. We were told that they have a promotion that we should post our photos on our own facebook profile with a hashtag ramenkuroda.ph and get a voucher of their 4 pcs gyoza on our next visit. We were also encouraged to post each so we could get two vouchers. It should also be done before we pay the bill. We participated because we were definitely happy with the food and surely have reasons to go back. 

I actually cannot say anything about the ramen. It was my first time and I have nothing to compare it to. I like the noodle though since it wasn't that soft or malata. The saltiness was just fine while the pork melts in your mouth. We both enjoyed the food and kept on talking about it for the next 3 days. Haha!

Our experience was satisfying for the price that we paid. It was a really heavy meal that I have to ask for a second serving of hot tea (no extra charge). I know I couldn't sleep at night being too full. Now I learned my lesson to order ramen with no rice meal na because it was really filling with just ramen alone. I wasn't able to finish my food which I felt really guilty after. =( Yung feeling na gustong-gusto mong kainin kaso suko na talaga yung tyan mo? Hahah! I would like to also note that the staff were accommodating and smiles to you when you call their attention. I just hope they would continue to be mabait not only because bago pa lang yung branch.

Ramen Kuroda
Ground Floor, Double Dragon Plaza
DD Meridian Park cor Macapagal Ave,
EDSA Extension, Pasay

Jami's 4th Birthday Celebration

It took a long while before I post another entry ano? Mejo naging busy lang ako setting family goals, hehe. I also re-opened my small time business so during free time at home, yun lang ang madalas kong gawin. I have no time to check things online kaya during office hours, mejo busy ako kakacheck! Lol!

Joke lang. =D

Syempre nagwo-work ako! Hahaha.

Anyway, one of the things that I look forward this year was Jami's 4th birthday. Since he started going to school, I know he got to at least celebrate one birthday at school. It was a perfect timing they still have regular school on the day of his birthday (fell on a Monday) but wasn't doing too much school stuff anymore because they are about to go on semester break.

It was Nanay whom I asked to speak to the teacher about the plan. His classmates have been celebrating birthdays in the school too, almost every month meron, minsan twice to thrice a month pa ang may birthday. Jami wanted to celebrate his birthday at school too since nakikita nga nya that his classmates sing happy birthday to the celebrant. Eh bida-bida tong anak kong to kaya gusto nya din ganun! Hahah. Last minute, Jami wanted to celebrate his birthday at home na lang kaya lang, nakapag notify na kami sa school.

I have decided to order Jollibee meal the night before his birthday. Since we were on a tight budget, I only ordered what I think the kids could eat in school. I don't want to go all out since we still have to allot a budget to celebrate at home. We had Jollibee Spaghetti and Yum burger which cost me more than Php 2,000 for 23 students plus 3 Jollibee Spaghetti with Chicken for his teacher. The crew I spoke to doesn't recommend to add fries, shanghai or even drinks dahil madaling mag lapse yung food. I actually ordered exact number of meals only, walang pasobra dahil may food pa naman sa bahay for lunch.

I have paid the orders in full so I only have to pick them up early next day. Our pick up time was 9:30am and the food has to be ready at 9:20am. It was a breeze placing such amount of order in Jollibee Casimiro.  Please bear in mind that only orders Php3,000 and up can be delivered for free. We arrived just in time and I am really glad that the food was ready so we didn't waste any time. The party will start at 10am and I want to be there earlier than that. On our way back to the school, I saw a local store that sells Dan Erics ice cream so I ordered 28pcs of regular ice cream in a cup for 10/each, bought Zesto tetra pack the night before for their drinks and an 8x8 dedication cake from Red Ribbon for candle blowing. I was really looking to buy a custom-made cake for Jami but I have decided last minute to buy local cakes.

When I was asked to go inside, we prepared the cake and his classmates sang Happy birthday song for Jami. I can see that he was overwhelmed and a little shy since nasa harap sya ng classroom! OMG, I was really happy kasi I never experienced that during my school days. Mga RK (rich-kid) lang talaga yung may kaya nyan before. Hahaha! We then distributed the food to the kids with the help of the teachers.

It was a very simple birthday party for a short period of time but the happiness it brought me, Daryl and Jami are beyond measure. For someone who didn't get the chance to do something like that, it feels surreal! hahaha OA lang. But yeah, thinking about it now makes me feel happy, - for Jami. I am so happy Daryl and I made this happen together. He did absent himself from work just to help me out and witness this new milestone for Jami. =)

After the school party, my sister and Sab arrived. They played for a little while and ate what's left in school (they had 3 absences) kasi wala pang food. I called Ambers in Las Pinas for delivery but because of the volume of orders they received that day, they can accommodate and deliver mine at 1pm pa daw. I agreed na lang since it will also take time if we order over the counter sa branch nila. I bought another cake so Jami could blow one at home. Yan lang naman ang dreams ng batang yan, mag blow ng candle hahaha!

I have been asking him the whole day if he's happy and he kept on saying "Yes". That's what's important naman diba? Ako, I don't care if we don't have so many visitors as long as our families are there to celebrate with us. As long as Jami's happy, his Daddy and I are happy.

Dear Jami,

You've grown up to be a super kulit but sweet and smart boy! I am really surprised how you do academically. I know we have very limited time to do "study time" at home and we can only do it if it's exam week but you never failed to do your best and understand your lessons. I feel pressured actually sa dami ng perfect scores mo, I don't know why! hahaha. Joke lang naman kasi Anak yung sinabi ko sayo na "gusto kong umakyat ng stage sa graduation mo eh". Hahaha! I was just kidding and was only trying to challenge you but yeah, you're doing it! Hindi ko nga alam kung naintindihan mo ba that's why I am so surprised every time you come home with perfect exams. I want you to keep doing it. Don't be afraid of change and that always try your best in everything that you do. I know you still have a lot of things to learn and I am quite unsure at times if what I am doing is right. I am praying so hard that God help us to guide you and mold you to a better person in the future. I want you to reach for your dreams but never ever afraid of failing. Just keep trying! I love you my baby! You are the best thing that ever happened to Daddy and Mommy and we couldn't ask for more. 

Again, Happy Birthday and wishing you good health, be smart and a good, loving heart. I love you! =)

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.

Looking for nice yet affordable flats?! PM for inquiries or visit my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/jen.andres.alipio

A post shared by Jen Alipio (@its_mommy_jen) on Sep 6, 2014 at 4:17am PDT

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

My first time to deliver cupcakes in a party venue! Na stress ako ng slight. I secretly prayed, "Please cupcakes, make your mama proud." Hahaha! I received news later that it did! Dreams do come true! #dreambig #cupcakes #JamiSSweetTooth #chocolatecupcakes #bakedgoods #imjbakes

A post shared by Jen Alipio (@its_mommy_jen) on Feb 22, 2017 at 12:02am PST

26, I overcame the fear of biking.

Today, I've learned something new! After 26 years on Earth, I finally know how to use bicycle 😭😭😭😭 Thank you @lalaidl and @len_alipio. See? Fast learner talaga ako eh 🤣🤣 #milestones

A post shared by Jen Alipio (@its_mommy_jen) on May 10, 2017 at 5:41am PDT

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!

I am always willing to share the blowing of my cake candles with you, my love! ❤️❤️👪😍😍 Si ateng cashier, hindi thoughtful! Di sya naglagay ng candle! Yung kandilang pang brown out tuloy ginamit namin! Hahaha 😂😂😂😁😁😁 Thank you everyone who spent time to greet me. Much love from our family to yours 😘😘😘 #imjbirthdays

A post shared by Jen Alipio (@its_mommy_jen) on Jun 14, 2017 at 2:16pm PDT