4k

My youngest, Gia Mikaela, the baby-est in the family (cause for me the other 3 kids are still babies). Gia is adorable, smart, active, talkative, funny, sweet, and can easily amuse you with her charm. At age 1 you can hear her saying (more of mumbling that is!) something which makes you wonder how can she be interested in what you’re doing?...she’s just a year old!



As she turned 2 years old last month, she can:

• imitate any dance or song she sees or hears on television;
• climb over top of dressers and tables to see and explore everything on it;
• open caps of lotions, powder, vapor rubs, and more;
• easily escape from you when she sees the room door even an inch-wide open;
• operate the remote control of our tv, dvd player, electric fan, and air-con;
• open the zipper of my bag (oh my precious!), even her sisters’ school bags and look through the books and notebooks;
• slip on to my sandals (even on her dad’s shoes too!) as soon as I take them off when I get home and walk comfortably around the room;
• easily scribble (unnoticed) on a pad left for a while by her brother or sister (which results to a loud crying session);
• arrange and re-arrange (and re-arrange again!) the contents of my dresser;
• crawl under the computer table and disconnect anything she can.


I could add more and more, and yes, she may be naughty but hey! She’s just 2 and in her “Terrible Two Stage” (if there’s such a thing).

Ooohhh…how I love my Little Nosy One…I await your next birthday…as you turn “Terrible-Three”...

Posted by 4K at 26.4.07 | Permalink | Comments

That’s me. I admit I have a fetish on bags—branded, quite expensive, conventional, and practical. Most of my bags were given either as birthday gifts, Christmas presents, or from a relative abroad. You wouldn’t see me carrying a bag that does not have “signature”…you name it—(don’t want to brag though) Lacoste, Esprit, Nine West, Ralph Lauren, Gap, etc. But I don’t go for bags that are too costly (or maybe I just couldn’t afford them…ha ha), expensive bags are for the rich (and famous) but not for a practical Mom like me, besides as I’ve said, most of my bags were given. I just couldn’t resist having a new “quite expensive” bag once in a while. My husband and sisters could attest to this. A few years back, when my sister, Dette, was set to come back to Manila, I even told her “…bag na lang pasalubong mo sakin…nanginginig na ko, wala akong bagong bag!” I really got a huge laugh on that.

Bags complete women…most of all Moms. My kids call my bag, the handy-dandy bag as in Blue's Clues' - handy-dandy notebook. In it I carry lots of stuff, like things to relieve boredom (cellphone or a pen to draw), to soothe a cut (band-aid), to clean something (hand sanitizer, alcohol, or wipes) and more. Most of all for them, it is a place to put in their things when they get tired of carrying them.

I recently bought a bag organizer wherein I can actually change my bag in a few seconds. It’s really handy most especially during the morning when I’m rushing to get ready for work and I need to change my bag. It really keeps my bag organized (that’s why it’s called organizer!), I can easily locate something even without looking (goody!), and it’s good for bags that are cloth-material and soft.

For me, bags are heavenly invention. I don’t have anything against bags that are not branded nor expensive, each one of us has her own taste and I respect that. But for me—I love bags and I have a fetish on branded, quite expensive, conventional, practical bags—I’m The Lady Bag.

Posted by 4K at 26.4.07 | Permalink | Comments

The title says it all for my second child, Erin Louise. She loves girly-stuff, any stuff that is pink-colored , cute dresses, skirts, colorful (even high-heeled!) sandals, bags (like me), Disney Princess, Barbie, headbands, bracelets, teddy bears, nail polish, glitter tattoos, capri pants, sleeveless shirts...whew!...and the list goes on!

Of all these girl-stuff she loves...one baby-stuff she hasn't outgrown (yet) is her small baby pillow, her security-pillow, which she calls "P". She brings P wherever she goes, and can't even sleep without P beside her. She even takes P to school secretly inside her bag. It just comforts her to know that P is with her. Her yaya is briefed on the importance of always bringing P wherever we go -especially on long drives, going out-of-town trips, or even on just going to the mall or else...leaving all of us stressed out because, a trip to anywhere without P might result to Erin's tantrums.

Erin may have tantrums and a show of brat-like actions at times, but Erin is sweet, loving, and happy when she's in the right mood. She cares for her younger brother and sister. She looks up to her older sister, Diane. Of Erin's six years (she'll turn 7 in October), she has learned how to control her emotions. Though at times we still experience her moodiness, I know in time she will outgrow this...and hopefully outgrow also her attachment to P.

Erin Louise: My Kikay Girl...My Sweet Kikay Girl...with or without tantrums.

Posted by 4K at 24.4.07 | Permalink | Comments

Meet Franco Albert, my one and only son (together with 3 other daughters). He loves the movie Cars so much that he imitates Lightning McQueen's antics with Ca-chiao! as his favorite expressions these days. I've lost count as to how many Lightning McQueen toy cars he has - he even has the complete set of the characters in the movie (he also has plenty of Buzz Lightyear figures when Buzz was his favorite then). Often you can see him carrying his toy car (Lightning McQueen of course!) even when its bedtime, and either he puts it in his pajama pocket or he parks Lightning inside Mac, Lightning's road-carrier.


This picture was taken September of last year during his 4th birthday. And boy! he can't stop smiling when he saw his birthday cake. Franco is sweet, active, loving, cheerful...a small version of his dad...and maybe even a child-version of Lightning McQueen...Ca-Chiao!

Posted by 4K at 19.4.07 | Permalink | Comments

Eastwood Fuente Circle definitely comes alive every wednesdays. No other band to really get the whole of Eastwood rockin' - The Bloomfields. We were there last night for Tita Vicky's despedida dinner. Had a nice dinner at Heaven and Eggs, and boy! it really was a heavenly treat...with their steaks and angus beef tapa...Yummy! Dinner was even made more pleasant(even though it was really hot even when we were seated in an open venue!) with the front acts' rendition of songs ala-Michael Buble style.

The Bloomfields plays 50's and 60's songs, I was even amazed that young girls & boys also actually loved those type of songs (actually, for me 50's and 60's songs are more ok than rap songs!). Each band-member has his style of projecting their beatles' image and their blending is great which makes them really sound good. Most amazing for me was Rocky, the drummer. His drumming skills are great, and the people loved his solo act! What makes it more amazing is the way he holds his drum sticks...which makes it more complex & spectacular...(just got this from my hubby, who was once a drummer).

So if you want to experience "The Beatles" and listen to 50-60's songs (which I did not...hey, I wasn't born yet at that time!), I strongly recommed watching The Bloomfields band. They have their own website which posts their live performances.

Posted by 4K at 18.4.07 | Permalink | Comments

Whole family (with in-laws) went to Subic, Olongapo this weekend. It was fun, fun, fun...UBE to the max...that is Ultimate Bonding Experience! We checked in at Soreabeol Hotel inside Subic, kids (and us too!) had a great time swimming, eating, and just enjoying the VERY HOT weather! There are plenty of things to do while you're in Subic. We specially enjoyed "Boardwalk" which comes to life at sundown. You can enjoy listening to the livebands performing...order your favorite food...watch the kids in the playground...or just walk along the beach where you can enjoy the fresh (though not really cool!) air.

Good thing there's a church inside Subic, it's even air-conditioned so the Holy Mass was really solemn.

Another thing to enjoy in Subic is SHOPPING (yes!!!) at Duty Free. My kids had a grand time picking their favorite chocolates while I was busy looking for pasalubong for my mom and sisters.

Before going back to Manila, we had lunch at our favorite restaurant there, MeatPlus wherein you can enjoy premium Steaks and other American food at its best. Even my kids loved their steak...as well as their burgers, chicken, and ice cream. Kids can't wait for our next out-of-town trip just so they can enjoy their summer vacation (from school) to the max!

Posted by 4K at 18.4.07 | Permalink | Comments