Be My Valentine?

I will not lie to you. I am not exactly looking forward to Friday. Well, I was. But then, Sunday happened and all of sudden, I realized I wouldn't have a date for Valentine's Day after all. Not the real date-date at least. Not that the kids and I haven't been spending Valentine's Day with each other the past so and so years. We took family dates the first few years R wasn't around, then realized we were just stressing ourselves out with the crowd, the wait, the traffic, and all the hassle the day of hearts brings.

Last year, A and I took home Quiznos hoagies for dinner. Meanwhile, RL went out with KY and my mom. He later came home with a box of doughnuts and some chocolates for us. And that, dear folks, is how it is on Valentine's Day.

Last year's Valentine's treat from my little boy and his achi.

This year? Well this year, I was supposed to go out on a date (!!!). Alas, my date had to leave to clear out some work issues in the province. And so, we're back to having take-out tomorrow. Or maybe I'll cook, since the nanny will be away (even she has a date!). Not that I was expecting something grand this year, but you know, things have been better, and although we're not exactly where we want to be, God sure knows how to fill the void.

Today, in a conversation with my favorite aunt about Valentine's and how she is spending it with friends, relegating her dinner date to the less-traffic weekend, she says "It's just tradition. Valentine's is every day, if you know how to make it so. It's not the day, it's the date - the person or people you are with."

And so, I realized I celebrated Valentine's with my man Saturday night. I had that Valentine's date after all.

If there is one thing I am thankful for each time this day comes around, it is this: I've never been without love. In fact, every year, I am reminded that I am blessed to have who I have. Plus, I am expectant! I know that one day, when that day finally comes and I get to spend Valentine's Day out on a date, I can look back and say, hey, those take-out, date-less Valentine's Days weren't so bad after all.

And with that, here's another giveaway to celebrate Hearts Day with you! I am giving one of my readers an brand new, original 16" Mickey Mouse Valentine's plush! You know the drill. Happy Valentine's Day, friends. You are loved.

Won't you please be Mickey's Valentine?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway starts now! You have until 11:59PM of Sunday, February 18, to accomplish the steps required by Rafflecopter. I shall draw the winner the following day. You must use a valid email address when registering for Rafflecopter. I will use that email address to notify you, should you be my winner. This giveaway is open to anyone with a Philippine address.

Happy Valentine's Day!

FEATURED PHOTO: Best Friends

This is actually a not-so-new photo. Took it last week when I saw my babies cuddling on a chair, right when I was on my way out the door.

Mickey (Shih-tzu) and Katniss (Siamese) are best of friends. Well, most of the time.

Every time I'd post a photo of these two together, the first Qs are usually the ones asking if they really do get along. Well, yes, most of the time. Mickey always tries to steal food from Katniss, and she hates it when he does that. Medyo patay-gutom 'tong si Mickey kasi. He will eat anything - and I mean, ANYTHING!

Hope you're having a great Thursday!

Life Update

I realized I haven't blogged about life for quite a while now. Nothing to it, I've just been really busy trying to make ends meet. Life has actually been good (Praise God!). Work has been good. It's great to see God's Hand on this. Amazing how He's kept us afloat all these years.

The Old has Gone.
The New has Come.

A
My not-so-little girl starts fourth grade on Thursday. A has her old classmate from ABS-CBN in her section this year, so she's pretty excited. I think excited is an understatement. I haven't seen anyone as hyped and psyched about going back to school. Meanwhile, I'm halfway through wrapping her books and labeling her stuff. Thank goodness for the holiday, I get an extra day to work on things at home.

Two Saturdays ago, she went through Victory Weekend and got baptized. I pray she walks passionately with the Lord. My heart can't be any happier to see my kids choose life.

How to Eat a Mango

RL
The baby isn't a baby anymore. Nope. RL speaks in sentences. His words actually surprise me. Although there are times when he prefers to baby talk and pretend to be a baby again, there's no stopping this little boy. He can be very persistent at times. We actually see a lot of his funny side. I've been sharing his funny moments on FB. He can be quite the comedian.

He has this thing for mangoes lately, and eats about 2, sometimes 3 a day. He loves the seeds, so we slice the mangoes in such a way that the cheeks are thin, and the middle part gets all the meat. This has become a dilemma for me, now that summer's over. Can't find nice mangoes anymore. What used to be P20-P30/kilo is now about P60-P70/kilo (plus smaller in size). And they're not as good nor as sweet. I heard from the lady down at the neighborhood fruit store that her mango stock next week will come from Davao, and that they will be more expensive and a tad sour. Man!

I was thinking about letting RL start preschool this year, but decided to homeschool him instead. He just turned three (yes, time flies) anyway, and I want him to enjoy his toddler years. He has mastered his A-B-Cs and can count perfectly from 1 to 10 (and backwards!); he's learning 11 to 20 and can actually do simple addition (well as much as his fingers can help him). Which is pretty good, I think. He knows his colors and knows a ton of words. He loves adjectives and can play synonyms with us in the car. So yea, time flies.

R
The truth is, I haven't kept in touch since he moved back south. It's easier for me and the kids when we're not attached to empty promises and unfulfilled plans. He called me Friday to let me know he was visiting again. I'm not sure what to make of it. But I take everything with a grain of salt - more like keeping the peace for the children's sake. Oh and excuse me, I've heard enough of "it's stupid to stay together for the kids' sake", because girls, we aren't together. We're friends. So live with it. Any step R takes from this point on is his own doing. I haven't done a single thing to influence his decisions. Well, other than praying for him.

Click on Photo!

K
Well, what's up with me? Nothing much, just working my butt off to make living life a little easier. I've taken on more responsibilities as a volunteer in church and I must say, I'm enjoying every bit of it. NappyCakes has taken a back seat for now (I haven't been accepting orders because of work) and I realized I want to stop doing this (well, for now). The stocks are taking up most of my attic space, which I want to convert soon to the kids' playroom. We've started purging and selling some stuff over on Shop From My Closet - mostly baby stuff for now, as I need to find time to sort and take photos. Right now, we're saving up for RL's tuition and maybe a trip to the US with family next year.

Upper Left Clockwise: Katniss in Boot; Hello Mickey!; Eye Love You; A and her Katniss: We're Friends; RL's Baby. 

MICKEY AND KATNISS
Our shih tzu has taken on a new friend. If you follow me on Twitter then you probably already know that my mom's driver gave us this kitten, who A insists on calling Katniss (I blame it on the movie). She's Siamese, I think, and has the loveliest blue eyes. I was told that she's about 3 months old (I haven't gotten her actual birth date from my mom's chauffeur), but yea, she's a keeper, don't you think? My brother's girlfriend had Persian kittens as well, and we were about to adopt another female, but when we tried to introduce her to our home, she cried all night. I don't think she was meant for our family so we decided to give her back. Besides, Katniss is fairly new (she's been here for almost a month now), and I would love for her to enjoy being the center of attention first - which, of course, Mickey objects to. But they're friends and all is well.

Overall, life has been good. Trying, at times, but we're still blessed. The past months have seen healed relationships, new friendships, renewed ties, financial blessings, new work, etc. I can not ask for anything more.

Well, maybe an iPad for the kids. LOL! Uh, Lord?

Off to the Groomers!

Mickey, after his summer cut over two months ago.

The youngest member of our family needs to be groomed again! Has it been 3 months? Hopefully, this time, he doesn't need to go "almost-bald" with a summer cut. We try to make sure he's groomed and combed often, so I hope he gets a nice cut this time.

And guess what? So timely, too, that Ensogo has a deal up for Pooch Park!

Only P 250.00 for Complete Pet Grooming Services at Pooch Park! A P500.00 value, that's 50% off!

The deal is for small breeds only, but you can upgrade your voucher if your pet's a big dog. • Top-to-toe grooming and pampering includes:
* Bathing
* Haircut
* Ear Cleaning
* Nail Clipping
* Toothbrush

I am thankful for deals like this. Makes saving moolah a tad fun. Hehehe. The one feature of Ensogo that I love is I can pay direct using my Debit Card. No need for tasking bank deposits or unsure credit card transactions. Yes, so convenient.

Hurry, you have a little over 2 days to grab this deal!

Get your discount voucher now!

~~~

Pooch Park has two locations for your convenience - Ortigas and Robinsons Metro East.

Ortigas Branch
Ortigas Home Depot Complex, Julia Vargas Ave., Ortigas Center
Phone #: (02) 9105036/ (63)922 9663320

Robinson’s Metro East branch
Level 5 Robinsons Metro East Mall, Marcos Highway, Brgy. Dela Paz, Pasig City
Phone #: (02) 6477025/ (63)922 3024566

Add Pooch Park on Facebook here.

Summer Cut!

Our shih tzu, Mickey, has been NEEDING a groom for quite some time now. Last time he had one professionally was in October. Since the other nanny left, I wasn't too keen on giving him his weekly baths. Didn't even have time to brush the little fella, let alone sprinkle Dry Shampoo to make him smelling clean, albeit super dirty.

So today, thanks to the Beeconomic/ Groupon deal I bought online in January, I took him to Pooch Park for a full groom. I've been wanting to send our dogs to Pooch Park ever since the store opened a few years ago, but R takes charge of the dogs, and likes to bring them to his friend's place at Tiendesitas. Pooch Park is a stone's throw away from where we used to live. And I would say, it was more convenient, in terms of location, queues and service.

Now that we live so far from where Pooch Park is, I had to take the morning off to run this errand. But never mind the time off, my pooch badly needed this, plus the deal was great. Imagine a full groom plus toothbrush service for P225! That's 55% off!

I suppose Mickey's tangles were so bad, it took them 2 hours to get him all dolled up and smelling fresh. Oops, my bad. I am so not good with canines. I don't have the patience to groom him everyday, and the Shih Tzu demands daily care. Not my fault (haha, excuses!), my cousin and Achilles Kennel breeder, PC, gave Mickey to A as a post-Christmas gift last year. Don't get me wrong, I love dogs but I cannot personally care for them. I'd rather spend my free time with the little man and the little lady. But hey, not to say I am an irresponsible human! I once hired a nanny for July, R's old poodle, and Dixie, the Yellow Lab who mysteriously disappeared (LOL! R gave him away without letting me know; yep, I come home from the US and my dog is gone!).

So thank goodness for grooming places such as Pooch Park. They give us a better alternative to that crazy dog land over at Tiendesitas. Last I heard, there was a distemper virus floating around the area, and pooch owners are warned to stay away. Sad. Well at least I don't have to wait in line. The last time I had Mickey groomed at Tiendesitas, I waited 4 hours! Yikes!

This is Mickey on the grooming table getting shaved. Kekeke.

This is Mickey Mouse (!) on my office chair, looking all groovy after his day at the groomer's.

What's more, Pooch Park shares some love back to their loyal customers. Every 5 full grooming services entitle you to swag (I love swag!). So yea, I will be back soon!

Pooch Park has stores at the following locations:

J. VARGAS BRANCH

#181 Auto Depot Bldg Julia Vargas Ave., Pasig City

Open: Mondays - Sundays 9:00 am - 7:00 pm

Contact nos. : 9105036 or (0922) 9663320

METRO EAST BRANCH

Level 5 Robinsons Metro East Marcos Highway, Pasig City

Open: Mondays - Sundays 10:00 am - 9:00 pm

Contact nos. : 6477025 or (0933) 9348553

Check out Pooch Park's official site here. And add them on Facebook here.