Have You Been Waiting For This?

...I have! Woot! This is happening next month, so if you haven't started saving extra for this bi-annual Sale, then start doing so!

Previously announced for the 12th to the 16th, S&R announced yesterday that they are moving the SALE to end of the month! More time to save! Yay!

S&R Members' Treat is scheduled for September 26 to 30, 2012, at ALL Branches from 8am to 9pm.

Are you ready?

Here's what happened during the March Sale. Read about how crazy it was here, and the great deals I got on this post.

Don't miss out on the frenzy, mark your calendars now!

They're Off to See the Wizard!

The Stage Mothers are sponsoring the September 2, 530pm staging of Repertory Philippines' The Wizard of Oz.

Mia Rocha Lauchengco, Angela Tiutoc Lauchengco and Carmen Silverio Roxas make up the trio known as The Stage Mothers. Fueled by their love of theatre and their desire to help those who have been severely affected by the recent Habagat, these three moms couldn't just sit there and helplessly watch those who are in dire need of help. Instead, they put their desires into action and decided to put on this charity show for the benefit of the Philippine Red Cross and Angel Brigade. Yes, ALL PROCEEDS from this show will be donated to these two beneficiaries.

A few days ago, the Houston-based Texas Association of the Philippines very graciously sponsored 25 balcony tickets for less privileged children undergoing empowerment programs (through art, reading, etc) by the ATD Fourth World Philippines, an NGO that is taking care of over 150 families in three communities.

This gesture got the Stage Mothers very excited! Aside from raising funds for the two charities mentioned, Mia and her friends realized that they could also find sponsors for more kids who may have never seen a musical in their life!

A balcony ticket costs P300. Their goal is to bring in a total of 100 kids. Thus, they need to raise P22,500 more plus about P10,000 for transportation, or a total of P32,500. Contributions will be listed under your name (or initials) in Facebook.com/TheStageMothers.

Should you wish to take part in this worthy cause, you may reach the Stage Mothers at 09175334206 or at 09175288085.

Wizard of Oz by Repertory Philippines
Sunday, September 2, 2012
530pm
Onstage Theater, Greenbelt 1

Ticket prices:
600 - Orchestra Center (reserved seating) 
500 - Orchestra Sides (free seating) 
300 - Balcony (free seating)

Purchase 20 (or more!) tickets and you or your company will be acknowledged as sponsor via voice over during the show.

www.facebook.com/TheStageMothers

Mom's Day Out!

Over a month ago, sometime end of June, I got an invite to join a handful of bloggers on a Day Out for Moms, courtesy of Nido Fortified. I hope you don't mind the late post as I had to leave for an out-of-the-country trip a few days after this happened, and as most of you already know, life (and death) got in the way. Yikes.

I was going through my backlog list and saw the words "Day Out - Priority" calling out to me in red, and knew I had to write this now, or never. So please excuse the late post. Pretty, please?

I was late. I had to escape from the office to make it to lunch. Wasn't really sure I wanted to go, as it was a Friday and the long commute from Quezon City to Burgos Circle in Taguig made me dread the drive. But I made it in one piece, the last mom to arrive - embarrassingly late (like this post!). Was surprised to see Ruth, as she didn't mention she'd be there, but then again, I hardly ever get to attend blogger events (oh the consequences of working full time!) and she probably didn't expect me there either.

Our afternoon of pampering started with friendly chika over lunch at Cafe Juanita. Last time I was at Cafe Juanita was for dinner with friends, when my dear friend B was in town for her wedding. It was a welcome change to have lunch there. The atmosphere was light, friendly chit chat about anything under the sun - kids and nutrition mostly, and the latest blogging chismax (oops).

Chitchat about anything under the sun, over a sumptuous lunch at Cafe Juanita. 

I had sat next to the group from Eon, and talked about their events and the brands they were handling. I also sat across Des (chicsassymom!) and Ruth, and beside Nestle experts - Dra. Juadiong and Ms. Alipao. Together, we had the loveliest lunch! Cafe Juanita never fails to please the appetite.

Unforgettable dishes at Cafe Juanita! 

After lunch, we transferred to nearby Manos Nail Lounge (yes, truly a pamper-mommy-day!), where we were given their signature Classic Mani and the Manos Spa Pedi. The Nail Lounge in itself is a lovely place, and is not your typical nail spa.

A beautiful, relaxing place to get pampered! Thank you, Manos Nail Lounge and Nido!

Manos Nail Lounge treats you like royalty as soon as you enter their doors. Each mom had an attendant to herself. I especially loved the light leg and arm massage, and noted that they asked about our preferences before they attempted anything (have had bad experience at other nail spas that cut away at cuticles without asking).

(Top left, clockwise) Ruth, moi and Des!

I think Ruth and I were too excited to catch up. In case you didn't know, Ruth Floresca was the first one to ever feature NappyCakes on broadsheet. She wrote a lovely piece about me and my little business when I was just starting out.

We were served a not-so-light snack of pasta and pizza, with Manos Iced Tea or Warm Ginger Tea.

Manos Nail Lounge knows how to pamper their clients!

Thanks to this great afternoon of pampering, Ruth and I were able to catch up on over 5 years worth of stories and news. Hehe. And I got to know more about Des and her love for all things Korean. The spa is the perfect venue for Spa-rties and the like! I can't wait to go back with my girls!

Guess which hand's mine! Beautifully-made up nails, courtesy of the lovely girls of Manos Nail Lounge! Super thanks!

Overall, it was an afternoon well-spent. Thank you, Nido Fortified for this welcome and awesome treat for busy moms like me!

I am actually happy that the folks at Nestle planned this and have taken time to reach out to real moms. I must admit that all that controversy surrounding the proposed changes to our milk code had me hesitant to attend this gathering at first. But in the end, I was glad I went and thankful to have touched base with the people (actual moms, too!) behind the Nido brand.

Stay updated! Like the Nido Fortified page on Facebook.

For more information on Manos Nail Lounge, visit their official website here.

Manos Nail Lounge 
Unit 2-I Crescent Park Residences
30th Street Cor. 2nd Avenue
Bonifacio Global City, 1201 Taguig

www.facebook.com/ManosNailLounge
www.twitter.com/ManosNailLounge

FEATURED PHOTO: Holiday!

Realized I wouldn't be able to post a photo each day, so I'm switching back to just FEATURED PHOTOS instead on the daily ones. LOL!

RL walking down the road in between these colorful country homes.

It's another long weekend! Are you spending it at home or out of town? Regardless, I hope you get to spend it with the ones closest to your heart. 

Have a blessed three-day-weekend!

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!

Planetshakers CD Winners Here!

How was your long weekend? Me? I did what I always wanted to do, laze around with the kids. Teehee. Honestly, I would have wanted to clean the attic, but my nanny decided she'd take the long weekend off to see her girls, so I guess I have to save that task for another rainy day.

The long weekend allowed me some reflection, too. But let me discuss that on another post. I wanna think happy thoughts today.

Anyway, I picked winners for the Day 11 c/o Rafflecopter! Here are our winners of 5 signed Planetshakers CDs!

MARC VIRATA

LONS KHIE

HENRY RANCHES

HANNAH MELISSA FORRO HIPE

ANCHERRY LAKIM

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations! Please wait for my notification email! And yes, please be patient. Hehe.

Day 11 of my delayed (sorry!) Birthday Blowout has been brought to you by House of Praise Direct!

Have a great week ahead!

Day 12: Bet You Thought It Would Take Another Month!

Haha! I am running out of Blog Titles. Hehehe. Trying to be a little funny here. I am trying to fit in a blog post or two, in between typing up permits for our new releases here at work. So excuse the short posts. I just wanted this off my "to-do list".

DAY 12! I know some of you were probably wondering whatever happened to that Birthday Blowout. Well, it took in a little snooze and some shelf space. But yes, it's back. And I shall try to get everything out by the weekend (shoot me, there goes another promise, eeps!). I have a party, no nanny and guests. So yes, let's keep "all appendages crossed" (as Samantha Sotto would say... quoting here, in case some wise crack would accuse me of plagiarism, guffaw!). So where was I? Oh yes, cross those fingers!

Each gift pack contains a San Remo Food Container, a pack of San Remo Penne Pasta,
a pack of San Remo Elbows Pasta and a pack of San Remo La Pasta Alfredo Flavour Pasta and Sauce.

San Remo Pasta is made from 100% Australian Durum Wheat. It contains no artificial flavorings, colors, nor preservatives. Visit the San Remo International Website for great pasta recipes for Penne and Elbows.

Kaye says: You know what I love about San Remo? The pasta is almost always al dente, even if you accidentally over cook by a few minutes. You can never go wrong with San Remo.

Win a gift pack via Rafflecopter below. You must be able to pick up your prize from a House of Praise store (Panay Ave, Robinson's Galleria, SM North Edsa, SM Megamall, St. Francis Square, V-Mall or Festival Supermall).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Please note that this contest starts tomorrow (August 18), around lunch time. 

C'est tout. Bonne chance. Have a great long weekend!

Two more giveaways to go for this... uh... delayed birthday blowout. Please be patient with me. :)

http://sanremo.com.au/

DAY 11: Let's All Pretend It's Not The Mid of August.

LOL! Ok, time flew. And I neglected ze blog. :( I am sorry. So let's cut to the chase, get to the point, etc.

DAY 11! Of what used to be... well, my birthday blowout. Eeps!

WIN 1 OF 5 SIGNED CDS FROM THE PLANETSHAKERS!

Originally a youth movement in Australia, the Planetshakers are now known all over the world! ONE is actually their 21st album, recorded LIVE during the 2009 Planetshakers Conference in Melbourne. Includes the hits "Get Up", "No Compromise" and the worship anthems "Like a Fire" and "Lift You High". These albums were signed during their last worship concert in Manila. And is the perfect addition to your original CD collection.

I shall be giving away 5 Signed CDs (one each to 5 blessed winners). You know the drill. Please make sure you are able to pick-up your prize from a House of Praise store, should you win. House of Praise Direct shall shoulder shipping charges for out of town winners. Yay!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway has been brought to you by House of Praise Direct. No House of Praise store near you? Order direct from House of Praise Direct and get your loot straight to your doorstep. For inquiries, please email House of Praise Direct via houseofpraisedirect@gmail.com.

3 more Blowout days to be announced . Stay tuned!

House of Praise Direct
www.planetshakers.com

PS. I'd like to thank you all for your patience. And to all my loyal readers who leave me notes on Twitter, Facebook and via email, I appreciate you.

Hello Kitty and Ben10 - at McDonald's This Month!

Yea, yea, another post on McDonald's. This is practically the easiest thing to write about, as it doesn't involve much emotion or thought. My kids love McDonald's. We probably eat something from their store, at least twice a week. It is the easiest place to drive by, errr... drive thru, too, to grab a bite, as a store sits about a block away from the office (oh wait, make that two stores).

I was watching out for the next Happy Meal toy announcement on McDo's Facebook account, but then I guess they had to forego it to make way for relief posts, etc. So I was actually surprised to see that they had new Happy Meal toys at McDonald's Rockwell Ortigas, when I took RL for his Dengue NS1 test and CBC Wednesday night!

What a welcome treat to find these toys with our Happy Meal!

You got that right, folks - McDonald's Happy Meal has Hello Kitty and Ben 10 toys this month! Four toys each for your little boy or girl to collect.

The Hello Kitty Toys light up!

Light-Up Hello Kitty Toys for your little girl OR for you! LOL!

I don't really know anything about Ben 10, but RL sure was happy when he got these figures. He was letting them fly and crash all over the place.

Missing just one more from this Ben 10 series.

Catch these toys at McDonald's stores this month. Each Happy Meal comes with a toy. And a portion of each Happy Meal you buy goes to Ronald McDonald House Charities.

www.facebook.com/McDo.ph 
www.twitter.com/mcdo_ph

The Week That Was.

I hope you don't hate me by now. I've actually been contemplating shutting this blog down as I have not found time (nor the energy) to blog lately. Aside from work-related stress, Habagat's visit and RL's dengue scare, my heart is in grief over Piero's passing.

Yes, Piero passed away Sunday night last week. If you are a Facebook friend or have been following me on Twitter, then you already know his system shut down after a bad lung infection, septic shock and eventually,  organ failure. I have no words to express my lament, so I will leave you with what I left on his dad's wall:

"At a moment like this, silence seems to be the only emotion that fits. What can we, as mere men say to a grieving shattered heart? We speak today because we have a living hope. Death is no respecter of persons. Death is no respecter of youth. Death is a painful intruder and a pernicious reminder of our human condition. But I stand before you today to declare that we have a living hope and that causes us to rejoice greatly. If your hope today is found in the fact Jesus is no longer entombed... Because He lives, the grieving broken heart has hope, and reason to rejoice." (From the Movie, Courageous*)

If you haven't watched this film, I seriously encourage you to do so. Life is short, as it is also borrowed time. DO NOT WASTE IT. You are only given one chance to make things right. Some people don't even get that chance. Don't miss the boat.

Piero, I imagine you are having a swell time running on Streets of Gold, exploring Huge Mansions, dining with the King of Kings, and listening to stories while sitting on the Father's lap. Give Him a hug for me.

Fly high, Piero. Fly high.


*Collector's Edition Courageous DVDs are available at House of Praise Stores. 

Catch It While It's Here!

It's back! And only for the next three weeks!

Don't miss out on McDonald's TWISTER FRIES! Here for a limited time only (3 weeks, to be exact). So forget that diet and head on out to the nearest McDonald's store and get yourself some Twister Fries.

C'mon, you KNOW you want some.

Excuse the Absence...

...but my daughter has exams.