NappyCakes is Moving!

WE ARE MOVING! PLEASE BE INFORMED THAT PICK-UP OF ORDERS WILL NO LONGER BE FROM PARC CHATEAU, ORTIGAS CENTER! PICK-UP MAY NOW BE ARRANGED FROM TWO PICK-UP POINTS: HOUSE OF PRAISE, ROBINSON'S GALLERIA or HOUSE OF PRAISE, PANAY AVENUE. FOR ORDERS, CALL OR TEXT 0917.853.0363 OR EMAIL US AT NAPPYCAKES@GMAIL.COM.

Our site hasn't been updated, but you may still check out http://thenappycakesshoppe.multiply.com for pics and prices.

Good Grief.

Lotsa hate coming from Hong Kong and Chinese mainlanders over photos posted over social networking sites and blogs - photos of Filipino students posing with the bus behind them, etc. These kids attended a Buddhist prayer ceremony honoring the victims yesterday, and didn't know any better. They took a photo to remember the moment, but some people thought it would be a great thing to post these photos for all to mock!

Good grief. These photos have stirred more anger. Forums are abuzz with angry citizens calling Filipinos monkeys, maids, etc. :( Sad. But I cannot blame them. I'd be pissed, too.

Maybe we should exercise better discernment when it comes to these things. Best to promote peace in tense situations over provoking more hate. Why do we have to make fun of everything? We should know our place and avoid doing things in bad taste.

Coded.

My car is coded tomorrow. That means, I cannot be on major roads from 7am-9:59am and from 3pm-6:59pm. A has her 1st quarterly exams tomorrow through Friday. I have to be home tomorrow morning for "something" and found out today that instead of the test schedule announced last week (12nn-3pm), they changed the test schedule to 9am through 12nn! Ayayay!

My mom's driver usually takes A to school when I can't do chauffeur duties, but KY has classes at 9am tomorrow as well, so no can do. I We now have no choice but to wake up at 5am, in order to get to QC before 7am. I guess we'll be having breakfast at Mickey D's. :P

~~~

Meanwhile, I had some guys from the office pick up a few things from the house today. After getting a gate pass to ensure their smooth pickup sans the hassle, we found out that the service elevator wasn't working. So I called our admin office and asked them if we can use the passenger elevator to transport a few boxes. It is against policy, so I practically begged. We have a new administrator and I am sure he snickered to himself when I gave him the sob story of being a single parent and not having a husband to help me with stuff like these. Told him I borrowed a couple of peeps from the office and a van just so I can dispose of a few items, etc. I suppose I sounded so pathetic, so much so that he told me he'd agree to have us transport the boxes one by one via the passenger elevators, and that he was sticking his neck out for me. :)

He's a nice guy, no? He didn't give me a hard time.

Note to self: Give the new administrator a gift basket. LOL!

But waaahhhh!!! God is nicer! He's the best! The service elevator started working the moment we got to the elevator area. :) :) :) Ang galing! Love talaga ako ni Lord!

Tsk.

One year today since the actual day of reckoning. Much as I want to reminisce on last year's events, let me just pass. It didn't quite turn out the way I had hoped it would, as R has remained his usual self, doing the same darn things mistakes. Yep, still at it - after the whole brouhaha. :( Sad. Of course, not with the same girl (!!!). But tsk. He still has the same (add expletives here) crew. That means, the same bunch of fools giving him foolish advice. Yep, the same folks who, instead of telling him what a fool he was for fooling around, placed him on a pedestal and worshiped his misdeeds. Tsk.

He wasn't in the mood to talk about anything today. I sent him a text to ask how he was, and didn't get a reply. And he sounded pissed when I called, so... so much for that.

Oh well. I pray for wisdom for R. May God reveal Himself to him.

~~~

Sad day for the Philippines today. Much more for Hong Kong. :( Makes you wish Jack Bauer was real, no? My heart goes out to all the victims of this sad, sad event. I pray for God's comfort. I also hope the police learn from today's incident. And that media would know when and how to exercise restraint, caution and good judgment when it comes to airing crisis situations LIVE. Tsk.

Dedication and Revelation

We spent the weekend over at my folks'. They had their new home dedicated, and had invited a small group of friends from church over to witness the event. Pastor J and Pastor D led the crowd in the dedication of the new house and the re-dedication of our family.

My mom thought it would be a good thing to re-dedicate the kids as well. So she saw it fit to include that in the program. She asked me if I wanted to say anything, and of course I declined. Not because I didn't want to say something, but more of because the people there were their friends (I only had J and her fiance over to help with the photos, since I didn't have a nanny over the weekend to watch RL). And of course this group of people didn't know a thing about my life. Well maybe a handful did, and knowing my parents, they don't willingly give out any information. I mean, it isn't anything to be proud of, right?

So Pastor D, who happens to be my pastor, prayed over the kids, and prayed for me, too. I must admit I was a tad hesitant to do this since I am sure the people at the party were wondering why my family was having my kids dedicated when their dad wasn't around. And I am sure there were some putting it all together in their minds while the dedication was going on.

Right after the kids' dedication, Pastor J called me over. Take note that Pastor J doesn't know anything about my story. I've met him twice in the past, I think, and they were fleeting hellos, nothing else. So I was surprised he had something to say to me.

He told me that while they were praying for me, he saw a vision of empty medicine capsules. He didn't know what that meant to me, but that God was showing him that I may be feeling empty inside and that our lives may be hollow or that I may be feeling that what I am going through right now is without purpose... but then, he says, God has a plan for me and that one day, He promises to fill us up and take away the pain. He promises to heal my hurt and the void in the kids' life.

Wow. I was in tears after that.

What an answer to prayer! I have been asking God each morning for purpose. Each morning, when I am in my quiet place, I ask Him for direction.

And this Saturday, I finally got my mission order. :) What a revelation! Thank you, Lord!

Another Year.

A-ya! Time flies! It's been a year... well, almost.

R became a year older (wiser?) Wednesday, and surprise, surprise, he celebrated the early part of the evening with us. We weren't really in the mood for dinner out as we were getting ready to go to bed early, but R insisted that he take us out. We cruised the length of Ortigas, went around Greenhills, then back to Ortigas and settled on Charlie's Grind and Grill - the new branch at the Ronac Building near Santolan.

I've heard about Charlie's Grill (Kapitolyo) from friends and my sibs, but haven't had the chance to go. I'm really a burger fan and have organized Burger EBs with some of my PEx friends, and had Charlie's on my list for the longest time. So when we passed by the new branch, and R asked if we wanted to eat there, I quickly agreed.

The place was packed and the kids were hungry. A wasn't too excited to be eating at a burger joint.

RL is giddy, while ate is blah!

RL: Smile, Ate! Like this!

RL telling his sis that burgers are yummy.

She's really a rice person and looked for it even when her dad got her Fish and Chips (which came loaded with yummy fries). R and I shared an Angus Burger and Charlie's famous Buffalo Wings. RL was satisfied with his fries.

It was a tense dinner, and A wasn't too happy, really. We had a field trip to Lemery, Batangas the next day, so she was already sleepy and anxious. Plus, she wanted a milkshake and her dad

wasn't too keen on shelling out 150pesos for it. :P

It was a filling dinner though, and the best part was seeing my ex-officemate, C and her hubby K, hehe.

~~~

HAPPY almost 40th, DADDY! We love you and are praying for you. ;)

Nom!

My little boy, RL, loves yogurt. Yes, anything with those live microorganisms - Yakult, Yogurt, Yogurt drinks, etc. Our chiller at home is stocked to the brim with these stuff. I don't even know how he developed the taste for Yogurt. But he loves, loves, loves the stuff (and that is an understatement).

Every week, I have to head back to the supermarket to get more Yogurt. Hi-Top Supermarket sells the small Nestle Yogurt drinks by the 5-pc pack so that makes it convenient for me to haul into my shopping cart, hehe. However, for the regular Yogurt kind, RL prefers Mango and Strawberry only, so goodbye to those 6packs where you get to save P10.00! It's great though that Nestle Fruit Selection Yogurt Strawberry comes in the big tub. So I get that and have his nanny spoon the Yogurt into smaller servings.

We recently tried Nestle's new offering - Nestle Fruit Selection Yogurt + Jelly, both in Buco Pandan and Strawberry, but RL prefers his Yogurt plain. So guess who ate all that up? Ha! It's good and retails for P20 a cup! Healthy snacking just got easier (and cheaper)! Yey!

Anyway, here's how my little boy eats his fave Nestle Fruit Selection Yogurt in Mango.

Yup, he wants it all in one go. LOL!

Got Yogurt, anyone?

And of course, Mickey is quick to lick up whatever's left of RL's Yogurt.

Haha, NOM!

Love yogurt? Be a fan of Nestle Fruit Selection Yogurt! Add them on Facebook here.

FEATURED PHOTO

In other news... guess who's featured in this quarter's issue of SHARON AT HOME Magazine? Yep, it's none other than my daughter, A! :) Get a copy now!

(that's A, with the electric guitar and shades on the left-most pic; and the one in the purple jammies on the pic on the right)

Oh Well...

...we didn't win. :P It's ok. We praise Him when we win, we praise Him when we lose. Either way, Blessed be the Name of the Lord. ;)

Help!

My daughter A's photo made it to the FitFlop Philippines' top 24 choices in a contest they are currently having. The top 4 winners with the most number of likes by the end of the day (today!) gets to take home a pair of Fitflop Hyka's.

Help A win a pair of Fitflops by "liking" her photo on the Fitflop page. Click on her photo below and it will take you to it. :)

I think she deserves to win after all she's gone through. :)

In order to like the photo, you have to like the Fitflop page as well. Thanks for your help, and here's hoping she wins. :)

Shoo, Flu!

I've been bitten by the flu bug. Sheesh. Took a leave from work the past two days, but had to get A to and from school today since my folks couldn't lend me the driver. I have a big party to go to tomorrow, and the nanny will take her day off. So yea, good luck to me.

A lot of people have been and are still sick lately. On FB alone, more than a handful are down with dengue (or have relatives that are), and dozens have the flu. It's cold season, and what do you expect? The weather has been terrible - HOT AND WET. :P

Stay healthy and safe, everyone!

Blogging Holiday

I am on a blogging holiday.

Not by choice though. It seems that these couple of months will be packed for me. And I am not counting September - when we go on tour with Citipointe Live again! Yes, July and August are hectic months indeed. :P

I am a tad stressed. But I choose to set it aside and just not meet it head-on. In fact, I am dilly-dallying. Woopeedee.

I have a lot of things on my to-do-list. The pressing thing is to write that 'Note from the President' I had promised my aunt I would do. It's for the free infozine we release every quarter. Plus, I have to take a photo of my dad for an article. :P Then I have orders to make for work; I have to work on the reclassification of stores and a merchandising handbook to go along with it. Then A has her quarterly exams coming up! Then... then... then... Aya! The list goes on and on.

My mom once told me when I was still working for a wholesale chain that work never runs out and I should be thankful, instead of stressed-out all the time. I brought home work on weekends then and would work through Sundays bickering about how I was always doing something. So she told me this: "if work ran out, you'd be out of a job tomorrow." Made a lot of sense then, and it still does now. It changed my whole outlook on work.

It means more than anything now that I am the sole breadwinner. That I have to work my butt off for the kids. Hey, if there were more than 24 hours in a day, I'd grab every part-time/ extra work I can get my hands on. Sadly, there are no more than 24 hours, and I feel it's just not enough. I try to make my bosses understand how hard it is to juggle time for work and family, especially since there is no 'other parent' to do the other share of parenting - No other parent to run the errands, or pick up the kid from school, or take the baby to the doctor, or take A to the dentist, or accompany A to field trips, etc. Yes, it all falls on my lap, and it's hard to explain why you have to take the day off, or why you're late for that meeting, etc.

God's grace is sufficient, however. Because two weeks ago, I was called up to my big boss' office and he told me he knew I needed help and just to holler if I needed it. He asked my other boss to take charge of my situation. So now I have someone bringing A to school (I used to take her to work with me in the morning because her class is at 12nn and I couldn't get off work again to get her). :) So much compassion for someone who doesn't know about single parenting first-hand. I was humbled, I tell you, and teary-eyed.

Anyway, blah blah blah. It's past midnight and A has a test in Sibika. Yes, lucky me. We have to wake up earlier than usual tomorrow to discuss the pambansang stuff. Woopeedee. Oh well, 'til next post!

PS. Did I mention that August is also gonna be an exciting month? A month for change and a new chapter in life. The one year mark is also approaching. Nyar.