Happy Birthday to Me! (A Post-Birthday Giveaway)

It was my birthday last Friday, and to celebrate, I wanted my friends to send in something different, aside from the usual birthday greet. So on Facebook, I asked them to send me a fan sign photo. Or any creative photo made especially for me. To get them going, I offered them a prize (I realize now that I only have a handful of willing friends, LOL).

Out of 33 photo greets, the kids and I were supposed to choose just our top 3. But there were actually 5 photos that stood out, showing my friends' efforts to make me happy (haha, babaw lang ng kaligayahan ko).

The following are our top picks:

My good friend Ganns (www.gannsdeen.com) sent me this photo, plus a cover of Jason Mraz's song "Make It Mine" personalized just for me. He calls it a musical selfie! So sweet!

My sales associate, Jhon, drew this caricature of me for my birthday! He is so talented!

If you want one made, you may contact him via text at 0927.3766481 or at 0908.6262471

My BFF Jenny sent me this one of my godson Mateo with Worship Generation shirts, folded to look like it says "HAPPY BDAY KAYE".
Pretty clever, huh? You can purchase Worship Generation shirts at House of Praise stores, Worship Generation stores or online through www.worshipgen.com

My co-BentoMomma, Monet, sent me this sign made out of bento tools cleverly laid out on a chopping board.
She sure knows what would capture my attention. Her son, Nino, holds their unique and creative birthday greeting!

Special mention goes to my beautiful friend Shiela, who actually sent me a fan sign! Yay!
Thank you, too, Mr. Patrol ng Pilipino, Alvin Elchico! Mwahh! LOL!

So anyway, I've decided to do something similar here, on my blog. See, I have 3 sets of Hillsong United tickets to giveaway. And although I had a contest planned, I wanted to do something different as well.


HILLSONG SELFIE - Concert Tickets Giveaway!
Note: In order to join this contest, you must:

A) Be able to catch the JUNE 11, 2014 concert. Again, please join only if you can make it on June 11. That's next Wednesday. Tickets cannot be exchanged for another concert date. You must be able to claim your tickets from me on the concert day itself, between 4-6PM, at Araneta Coliseum. Failure to claim your tickets before 6PM (unless previously arranged) will forfeit your prize.

B) Like the following on Facebook and Twitter first:

| facebook.com/FirstWivesClubBlog
| facebook.com/beccamusicinc

| facebook.com/HouseofPraise

| twitter.com/nappyKAYE
| twitter.com/beccamusic
| twitter.com/myhouseofpraise

Okay, now that we got that out of the way (I shall check, so please don't skip!), here's what you need to do:

1) Take a selfie with as much Hillsong product merchandise as you can. Merchandise includes (but are not limited to) CDs, DVDs, posters, collectibles, songbooks, photos, shirts, concert souvenirs, fan art, etc. Photo MUST NOT be a collage because you MUST be in the photo with the merch. I encourage you to be as creative as you can, BUT PLEASE USE ORIGINAL CDs AND DVDs. Pirated products will automatically disqualify your entry.

2) Post the photo on my Facebook page wall (http://facebook.com/FirstWivesClubBlog), telling me why you want to watch the Hillsong United concert (as photo caption) and tag Becca Music Inc, House of Praise, along with the two friends you want to bring along to the concert. Share your entry on your timeline and invite your friends to like your photo.

3) On Twitter (optional, but appreciated), tweet me this message "Hey @nappyKAYE! I want to win those #HillsongUnited tickets! Check out my entry on your page! #HillsongSelfie #FWCweeklygiveaway"

4) And finally, on this post, leave a comment (Name, Email address, Link to your Facebook post, Link to your Tweet) so I can double-check that you left an entry. I don't want to accidentally miss out on your photo!

You have until 12noon of June 9 (Monday) to post your entry. Only one entry per person is allowed. If you submit more than one photo, only your first photo will be considered. Winning photos will be judged based on the following criteria:

Creativity/Originality - 40%
Effort - 20%
Optimal Use of Hillsong United Merchandise - 20%
Visual Appeal/Impact - 10%
Number of Likes - 10%

The person who poses with the most number of merchandise on his or her photo will not necessary win this contest. Likewise, the number of likes will play a part, but will not necessarily make you automatically win this contest if your photo gets the most likes. Please take note of the criteria above, and plan your entry. From the number of entries posted on my wall, my friends and I will pick out our Top 3. The best entries will win the following:

TOP PICK 

will win three (3) Hillsong United PATRON - SRO Tickets
(valid only for June 11, 2014 concert)

TWO (2) RUNNERS-UP 

will each win three (3) Hillsong United UPPER BOX B Tickets
(valid only for June 11, 2014 concert)

In addition to these winners, we will also award the following prizes to SPECIAL MENTIONS:

MOST HILLSONG UNITED MERCH (1 winner) 

MOST LIKED ENTRY (1 winner) 

will each win a Hillsong United gift pack from House of Praise 

Winners will be announced on this blog on Monday night. They will also be notified via email (so make sure you leave a comment with a valid and working email address).

Also, please note that if you decide to forfeit your ticket prize (in case you win, that is), I will not be able to take a selfie with your tickets in front of the venue as your souvenir (as requested by a previous winner). I will be working on our merch tables that day. I hope you understand. Hehe.

Anyway, that's it. Happy Birthday to me! Let's see those entries! Yay!

Edit (Monday, 9 June 2014/10:01am): Hi everyone! I am sick and out of the office. As such, I am moving the #HillsongSelfie contest deadline to 1159pm tonight. Photos will be judged tomorrow morning. Winners will be announced at 1pm Tuesday.

That gives you the rest of the day to submit your entries, fix your tags, share the photo and get more likes! If you haven't left a comment on the blog post, please do so!

Thank you for understanding. This blogger has the flu - after getting the flu shot last Friday. Sigh. 

FIVE!

My little boy turned five last month. I can't believe it. He will soon be out of his toddler years, and that makes me sad. To me, he is still my baby, but I know he can't stay small forever.

We weren't really planning a party for his 5th, but the kids at his school make it a point to celebrate their birthdays there, so RL was kinda expecting the same. That, plus the BentoMommas were sorta pushing for a bento party so I can practice my bento catering skills. LOL! So, this BentoMomma gathered all her energy to prep for a 30-minute bento party (yes, 30 minutes, maybe even less, because that's all the time you get for recess at the little boy's school).

We were going for Spidey, but thought it would be best to reserve Spidey for another occasion. Besides, Lightning McQueen would be easier for this Momma. So after researching and some serious net surfing, Momma came up with this:

Disney Cars Bento Party!

I made Lightning McQueen out of Spiced Ham (the taste suited the spaghetti, plus I liked its reddish hue), bread, cheese and nori. It sits on a bed of my special tri-noodle spaghetti. I served this with a cheese cake imprinted with Disney Cars characters, 3 pieces of chicken nuggets, a piece of gala apple sliced to resemble a checkered flag, and some gummy race cars. Yep, this Momma made 25 of these! 25! Can't say it was easy, but the results were very rewarding.

A closer look at Lightning McQueen...

I found some red reusable containers at the supermarket, and used that to hold the bento meals. Printed out a party tag and voila, this BentoMomma is now ready to do a little bit of bento catering (I hope I don't regret saying that, LOL). The thing with RL's preschool is - everything had to be reusable, so I was really careful with how I packaged everything.

I decorated the wooden utensils with red star washi tapes from Paper Chic Studio.

I ordered a Lightning McQueen cake from the neighborhood bakery (our favorite Orange Chiffon with their signature marshmallow icing!). It was a hit with the kids, although they didn't quite get to taste it, because after RL blew out the candles, it was time to head back to class.

They were thoughtful enough to incorporate the number 5 on McQueen's body. 

For giveaways, I used our leftover cups from the Family Day Bazaar and filled them with goodies - gelatin cups, M&Ms, Pocky, Chupa Chups, rainbow mentos, Chocolait drink, etc.

I found this cool Lightning McQueen candle, and RL actually had a total of 6 candles (5 small ones plus this one)
which I thought was a wrong move on my part, because he kept asking me "why 6". LOL!

It was a simple party, if you discount the prep time for the bento meals. I loved how the kids reacted to their meals (although it wasn't much of a surprise because these kids were used to seeing my little boy's bento lunch). I love how they appreciated what I prepared, so this was a very fulfilling experience.

This little girl was really digging into my tri-noodle spaghetti, and she kept saying it was "so good".
I can make you spaghetti forever, S!

The not-so-little boy posing with his birthday cake.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RL! 

To see more of my imBento work, follow me on Instagram at @momma_makes_imbento.
Looking for Bento tools? Check out the BentoMommas Facebook page here. 

Through the Years: RL on Disney Junior's Birthday Book

I've been sending RL's photo to Disney Junior Asia for more than a couple of years now. The goal is to get his photo on their December Birthday Book. The first year I tried, 2010, the post office either misplaced my snail mail or the photos didn't get to their SG office on time - never mind that I sent it months before December (August, I think that was). So the following year, I did the next best thing, I sent it via courier. Last year, they made it easier for us stage moms and allowed submission via email. This year, you aren't allowed to send it earlier than two months before your child's birthday, and you had to submit via their website.

A lot of my friends have been asking how to go about this (I am not alone!) so I am posting a quick explanation here.

From the Disney Junior Asia FB page:

"If you would like to see your children on Disney Junior's Birthday Book, simply submit the photographs of your children on Disney Junior's website http://www.disneyjunior-asia.com/birthday-book/ and also provide us details such as the Child's Name, Birth-date, your email address, name cable operator and subscriber number. 

Submit your child's best picture today and your child could be seen on Disney Junior's Birthday Book! Hurry, you need to send in the photograph 2 months before your child's birthday month!"

Easy, you think? Here are some points to take note of:

CABLE SUBSCRIBER 
You need to be a cable subscriber first. And your subscription must carry the Disney Junior channel. If your child gets to watch the channel at the grandfolks, then yes, go ahead and use their name and cable subscription number for your entry.

PHOTO SELECTION
Photos must be clear (no blurred photos!), current, featuring just your child and must be at least 1MB in size. So don't try getting yourself in the picture. Disney Junior will not choose that photo with you on it. Hehe.

TIME FRAME
Don't miss out on the time frame. The submission per birth month is open only on the month two months prior. So say, you want your child's photo to come out on February's Birthday Book, you must submit the photo within the month of December. Miss one day after December and the app on the website won't accept your entry. Also, only the first 100 entries will be accepted.

Good luck!

2011


2012


And finally, this year...


Catch RL on Disney Junior's Birthday Book for December! Happy Birthday, Little Man!

Mondays.

I left my mobile phone at home. Bah! What a way to start the week. But all is good. I actually feel good today. I have no idea what's different. I just woke up telling myself it's going to be a great week.

Do you ever get that feeling? I mean, waking up on Monday and just knowing how the rest of the week is going to be?

I worked this weekend. I thought I'd catch up with pending stuff and found myself actually enjoying the time I spent juggling between encoding new releases and watching "The Lucky One" on rewind (that's because I kept going back to scenes I missed while filling out information sheets, haha).

Filled up information sheets for permits for these new releases...

It's mighty quiet at home, what with A spending the summer at my folks' and RL pretending he is the only child. Leave him with his Lego kits, and you're sure to find loads of peace and quiet - that is, until he gets tired (and mind you, this little boy gets bored easily, but yes, we're working on his patience).

RL putting together a LEGO Firetruck all by himself.

Saturday. We were supposed to head out to BGC for "Chak the Walk" but A decided she didn't want to go (because it had rained hard in our area and she wanted to be home when my siblings get home from Boracay) and RL just wanted to stay in bed (after spending most of his morning and afternoon at Trumpets). He actually slept through the rest of the day, getting up at 10pm to get dinner then played with his LEGO sets until the end of the movie (and encoding).

Sunday. I had to check on the new girl manning our Greenhills store. We were late for the 2 o'clock service and pretty early for the 4 o'clock. I guess all the waiting got to RL as he ended up sleeping in big church! Oops. At the last minute, and because it wasn't as traffic yesterday (compared to Friday and Saturday's mall sale traffic), I took RL to Rockwell after church to catch the last day of Make Your Own Havaianas 2013. Yes, yes, I know, a late notice to you readers. I was planning on blogging about it before the actual event (like I always do), but I got caught up with work. Last week was mighty crazy!

Deciding which pins to put on his sister's pair.

I wanted to get lime green flip flops (as it is the closest color to anything flou) but they ran out of the soles! I suppose I should start going on the first day. Two years ago, I had won tickets to their pre-event and got A and I the colors we had wanted. I ended up getting dark gray slims with lime green straps and a hot air balloon to commemorate this year's MYOH. Beautiful pair! I'm not quite sure if A will like hers. She wasn't with us yesterday, since she opted to sit this year out. But I got her purple ones with amethyst straps and a bicycle pin, since that's what she's been doing all summer - bike (and swim).

RL was proud with our finished work, he gladly posed with our loot. Oh, we used our Citibank Card and got a 10% discount! I would have gotten more, only A's enrollment is this week and we're on a super strict budget.

~~~ * ~~~

So, I forgot all about finishing this post earlier. Mondays always mean more work, especially since my brother moved to corporate and I'm struggling two positions. In the meantime, remember what I said about knowing today would be a great day (as with the rest of the week)?

Well, today I got blessed with an early birthday gift! Thank you, Mike and Mitchelle!

Then my bff J told me she was coming over tonight with a surprise from her mom (I'm guessing some Durian! So do watch out, neighbors!). It isn't even my birthday until the end of the month!  And you know how enrollment's this week? I found out from my daughter that tuition this year is a whopping __ thousand pesos!!! Excuse the blank, but I do not want you rolling your eyes asking me why. But see, I didn't even have time to worry about getting the money. Yesterday, I had to get money from the ATM and lo and behold, when I checked to see how much I had, I realized God was way ahead of me. Half of our 13th month pay got deposited early, and I already have enough to cover the first installment for tuition! And I think I can come up with enough cash to cover books, supplies and uniforms. Isn't God grand?

I am feeling the love! Thank you, friends! Thank You, Lord!

Great times!

Eleven!

This is a little late, but better late than never!

My daughter A celebrated her 11th birthday three Sundays ago. Yes, ELEVEN! Can you believe it? Wasn't it just yesterday that I wrote her this letter for her 8th Birthday? That was the year that tested our faith, and hey, I must say, we came out strong!

Too embarrassed to be center of attention. Photo courtesy of my little brother. 

A will be in the 6th grade this school year. How did that happen?!

Gone are the days when I can carry her with one hand while doing household chores. Nope, she's almost as tall as I am, and now wears a shoe size 9! Crazy.

~~~ * ~~~

To A,

Because it is #FlashbackFriday (actually publishing this on a Friday but initially wrote this post for #ThrowbackThursday), here is a throwback photo blog of my favorite photos of you - taken through the years - eleven years! Happy birthday, Beautiful! Momma loves you very much.

~~~ * ~~~

A's first Christmas, with her Little Tikes Coupe from Ama P!
Another photo, similar to this one, made it to the second issue of Smart Parenting.

Her first Enchanted Kingdom visit. It rained that day, and we got FREE tickets to go back. Hehe.
You can't sit on the Wizard na now. We tried to duplicate this shot with RL. But the guards were quick to stop us.

With our super poodle, July. A still misses him. R gave him away when we moved out of the condo.

A feeding our cockatiel, Chippy.

This photo of A at Davao's Crocodile Farm made it to Smart Parenting!

A's very first trip to Disneyland!

First school presentation. Wearing Achi KY's Casa Graduation outfit.

Flower girl at my friend A's wedding.

A - the Littlest Pet Shop addict

A is a great big sister to RL!

All she wanted that Christmas? Her two front teeth!

This is one of my favorite photos of the kids! RL loves to photobomb, even as a baby. Hehe!

A, with her favorite teacher and second mom, Teacher M (from her old school).

Because we used to live in a condo with a pool, A learned how to swim on her own.
She is even better than me, and I took formal swimming lessons for three whole summers!

Isn't this a beautiful photo? Hehe, lucky shot at HK Disneyland.

Happy Birthday!