Larcy's Cupcakery Cafe

The first time I saw Larcy's Cupcakery was on the way to a dinner date in BF Paranaque. It looked so cute and inviting from the outside that I begged hubby to have dessert there afterwards. It was even cuter inside and since the place was full at that time, we just got cupcakes to go and promised to come back with the kids.

Fast forward to last weekend when we finally came back. The thing I really love about this place is the interior design - everything is looks so bright, clean, quaint and girly, which adds to the overall experience. It really is the perfect place to have dessert, hang out with friends and family, and of course, bring the kids!

I made sure we had an early dinner so we could go and have dessert without the place being so full (since it always seemed to be packed whenever we'd pass by after having dinner somewhere in BF). ;p

They have so many yummy flavors to choose from, we had trouble deciding which ones to get. But according to them, their bestsellers are the Pink Velvet and Choco Ferrero. :)

Mamu & Miley getting cozy sitting in these gorgeous chairs

I totally love how they have kiddie tables and chairs! And they have magazines to keep you preoccupied while waiting (well, there was also 1 children's book which Miley and Sabe ended up fighting over haha! maybe add more of those for the little ones? ;p)

We ended up getting Bananutella, Pink Velvet, & Red Velvet Cheesecake. And I really liked the presentation of the cupcakes in individual holders. So cute! The cupcakes tasted super yummy, it was moist and just the right amount of sweetness. ;)

excited to try their cupcakes...

which they ended up just playing with haha! But yey, more for us to eat! ;p

they serve all-day breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner too!

and they also sell merchandise like shirts and mugs

Miley feeling so at home! She really loves this place! ;p

We had such a great time here, we can't wait to go back! And maybe next time, we'll try the food too. :)

Larcy^♥s Cupcakery Cafe
178 Aguirre Street, BF Homes, Parañaque 
Telephone: 478-2849
Operating Hours: 

Mon - Thu: 11:00 am - 12:00 am

Fri - Sat: 11:00 am - 1:00 am

Sun: 11:00 am - 12:00 am

Facebook: Larcy's Cupcakerycafe
Twitter: @larcyscupcakery
Instagram: @larcyscupcakery

Orientation on the Kasambahay Law

I attended a Kasambahay Law Orientation conducted by the SSS last Friday here in our area. I was so happy that this service was available since to be honest, I'm still a bit clueless on this and still had a lots of questions on the matter. And I definitely needed all the information possible on how to go about applying and filling out all the necessary documents.

As expected, a lot of people attended the orientation. Forms were distributed and the SSS people were very helpful in providing assistance in the processing of the applications. The talk was very informative as well, and I think the representatives did a good job in clearly asnwering all the questions, considering there were some heated arguments later on. Let me tell you, I'm so glad that I brought my camera since I didn't have to take notes anymore! I just took a photo of all the slides hehe. ;p

within 30 days? E un ibang kasambahay hindi nga tumatagal ng 1 month e!

For the mode of payment, you can opt for the Auto-Debit Arrangement (ADA) wherein you enroll your SSS payments in your bank and it automatically gets deducted from your account  (I'm definitely doing this). Also, this is better since if you pay manually, you still have to submit something called a Contribution Collection List (a summary of the contributions paid) at the SSS, which you won't have to do if you pay electronically. Actually, they said that they hope all payments will be done via ADA in the future to make it easier for everyone.

It got really interesting when the floor was opened up for questions and clarifications. Here were some of the questions asked and the responses of the SSS representatives (hope I can remember them correctly!):

Q: How about househelpers like drivers and labanderas who are not stay-in. Meaning they just come to your house to do a particular service when needed? Do you still have to get them SS coverage?
A: You will have to enroll them as your househelper if they do the service only for you and no one else. For example, you have a labandera who comes to your house only 3x a week. Even if she is not stay-in but she does laundry for you and your family alone, then you are considered her employer and must be enrolled in the SSS.
But if she does your laundry, and also does laundry for other families on the days she is not with you, then she is not considered your househelper. Since washing clothes is her nature of "business", she can enroll herself as self-employed.

Q: If you are enrolled in the ADA and your helper suddenly leaves, how about the payments that get deducted automatically?
A: You just have to call and inform your bank to stop the payments.

Q: What about househelpers who have been employed before June 4, 2013 (the date of the implementation of the Kasambahay Law)?
A: Unfortunately, you will have to pay for the months your helper has been with you beyond the June 4 date and you will also get a 3% penalty per month (what?!).
According to the SSS, since there was already a Republic Act No. 7655 implemented last Sept. 1, 1993, everybody should have already started paying the SSS of their househelpers back then. So, since the law is now in FULL effect, those who will only start now will have to pay for all those months/years prior that their househelpers have been with them.

Understandably, people started getting really upset and angry when they heard this, expecially those with long-time helpers. Some of the reactions were "why should we be punished for something we were not aware of?", "this is crazy!", "you should fix this law of yours!", etc. etc... Some people were even saying that maybe this was just a money making scheme of the SSS for extorting more money from the people. The poor SSS representatives were getting a full beating from an angry mob! I have to agree and say that I didn't even know about this Republic Act back in 1993 (I mean, I was 11 years old for crying out loud!). And now you're telling me that I have to pay and be penalized for this?! wth?!

Q: What if after explaining the Kasambahay Law to your househelper, for some reason they say "wag na lang po" or they don't want to avail it?
A: Since this is now a LAW, you have to explain to your househelpers that this is not compulsory and it is for their benefit in the future.

Q: Can we just tell our househelpers to apply as"self-employed" or "voluntary" (but we will still pay their contributions) just so that it won't be a problem if they suddenly leave our services?
A: According to the SSS, the contributions are different per category and the househelpers might encounter future problems when claiming benefits. Or for example, if your maid gets in an accident while doing household chores and they find out that she is under your employment, she will not get the necessary benefits (as well as you, the employer). Plus other complications may arise. So according to the SSS, just file everything correctly because instead of making your life easier, you might encounter more problems later on.

Well, those were just the Q&A I was able to sit through since I had to leave to pick up my daughter from school. I really wished I could have stayed and finished it since there might have been other useful questions I could have learned from. Again, these were just the answers the SSS representatives gave during the talk and I just wrote down what I remembered. If you have questions / clarifications, better to call an SSS branch to get official answers.

Here were the forms and brochures given during the orientation:

The first thing you have to do is fill up the Employer Registration (SS Form R-1) and Employment Report (SS Form R-1A) to be able to get an Employer Number. This number is what you will use in all your transactions with the SSS regarding your househelpers.

Then of course, you have to get your househelpers an SS number by filling out the Personal Record (SS Form E-1) and then submitting this to the nearest SSS branch with any one of these necessary primary documents (birth certificate, baptismal certificate, driver's license, passport, Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Card or Seaman's Book).

According to the orientation, these were the important fields to fill up in our forms (those highlighted in blue):

Whew, it seems like a lot of work doesn't it? But according to the SSS, this is for everyone's benefit in the future. Anyway, I'm not an expert on this Kasambahay Law and again, I have to stress out that the information I posted above are from the orientation I attended and what I remembered from the Q&A.

For more information, visit your nearest SSS branch or check out their website.

The week that was

Whew! Finally, I've found some time to blog again! :) This past week has been a really busy one for me. First, my 3-year old daughter Miley officially started school. But before that, we had a parents orientation where we were introduced to all the teachers and the rules & guidelines were discussed. Then, it was Miley's 1st day already! It was really such a milestone seeing her in her uniform and bag. :) I'm so glad we enrolled her in summer classes since she was such a trooper when we dropped her at school. Sanay na sanay na hehe! And it was so exciting picking her up and seeing if she had stamps on her hand (we're supposed to know how their performance for the day went if they had 2 stamps, 1 stamp, or no stamps). After getting 1 stamp only the first two days and then no stamps, finally Miley got 2 stamps yesterday! Yahoo! Gosh, I wish I could really sit in the classes to know what they do hehe! But anyway, I still can't believe my baby's all grown up already huhuhu! Pretty soon, I'll be dropping her off in high school na... ;p

Also, with hubby at work and my in-laws on a month long vacation abroad, I am now the official driver of my daughter to school!

source

I am so glad I finally learned to drive (after the 3rd try haha!). It's also a milestone for me since for the first time, hubby wasn't there with me in the car. It was just me, the kids and yaya. I was really nervous at first, especially since it was raining hard last Monday! But after a whole week of driving Miley to and from school, I feel like such a pro already! In fact, after picking her up from school yesterday, we even went to the grocery after. And I was able to park successfully woohoo! It feels really great to finally be able to go places without having to ask someone to drive me. I feel so independent haha! I still have to work on my parking skills though and also driving to farther areas like Makati. :)

Side kwento though, after doing the grocery yesterday, I bought medicine at the pharmacy. It was starting to rain again pretty hard so I was rushing to get home. Anyway, like I said, I was so happy with how the day went but after dinner, it suddenly dawned on me that I never got the medicines I bought! I don't know why, but after signing my credit card bill, I left to go to the parking already. And for some reason, the person at the pharmacy never handed me my package or even ran after me as I was waiting for the elevator! Haaay naku! Well, I called them up last night and yes, my medicines were still there. So excuse me while I go back to the grocery and pick them up. ;p

Enjoy your weekend everyone! :)

Our Happy Father's Day

I am so thankful for my hubby, who has proven time and again what a wonderful and dedicated dad he is to our children. So of course, we made sure he had a great time on Father's Day! :)

our gifts to Daddy :)

We had our Sunday family lunch in Melo's at the Fort since everyone wanted steak. And it was sooooo good! Probably one of the best meals I've had. Needless to say, hubby was super full and satisfied. :)

Our yummy Father's Day meal:

french onion soup

8oz. ribeye steak

banoffee pie

It was a great day spent with family! Again, (belated) Happy Father's Day to all the dads everywhere! :)

The Terrible Twos: The 2nd time around

This picture represents how my 2 year old son Sabe acts mostly these days - moody, demanding, stubborn... a walking temper tantrum. It definitely sounds and feels familiar to us. My daughter Miley was exactly this way a year ago when she was going through her own terrible two phase.

He's become the little boss around the house, making sure he gets his way otherwise all hell breaks loose! What's frustrating is that sometimes, we can't understand what he wants since he can't fully communicate yet what he wants. So he's there trying to tell us something and we're trying our hardest to figure out what it is. And when we can't give it at once, he starts screaming and crying at the top of his lungs. But he sure loves saying "NO" and "AYAW". ;p

He's become the little drama king too! I swear, he can fake cry like a pro! He begins to pout, then his mouth starts quivering, and tears start to fall... and once he's got you in his trap and you finally give in, his mood changes in an instant and he gives you the naughtiest look! ;p haaaaay!

Actually, it's really not so bad this time since we've already gone through this with Miley so we already know what to expect. Besides even with all the kicking and screaming, just one smile and a kiss makes everything ok. :)

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

I've always loved how a mirror can bring a huge statement to a room, and also open it up at the same time. I've always been a fan of the sunburst design (see my DIY mirrors HERE & HERE) but I've also been loving the vintage, ornate look as well. Here's some gorgeous ones I'm totally smitten with!

Modern Spaces by Atlanta Interior Designers & Decorators decordemon

Contemporary Dining Room

Eclectic Mirrors

Spaces by Los Angeles Interior Designers & Decorators Vanessa De Vargas

Spaces by Los Angeles Interior Designers & Decorators Vanessa De Vargas

Eclectic Bathroom by Star Media and Bloggers Simply Grove

Eclectic Bathroom by Sacramento Interior Designers & Decorators Kerrie L. Kelly

I especially love it when the mirrors are painted in a bold, bright color. And who says you can only put an accent mirror in the living or dining room? It works great in the bathroom too! :)

*all photos from Houzz.com

Good Read: The Important Thing About Yelling

Oh my... I'm very emotional right now after reading this wonderful post from Rachel Macy Stafford from her blog www.handsfreemama.com. I was crying by the time I finished the article because it was just so touching and so true. Maybe some of you have already come across this article through a link from Facebook (like me) but if you haven't, please take time to read it (even the comments section has some great insights).

As a stay at home mom to two young kids (aged 3 and 2), I have to admit that there are times when I just lose it. One minute, my kids and I are all getting along, laughing and playing. Then suddenly, they both end up fighting over something, the snack they're eating spills everywhere on the floor, they're both crying at the top of their lungs, they don't want to listen to me, the whole house is a mess... and I just feel so out of control! And of course, even if you're the most patient person out there, there will be times when you will just snap and yell. And I admit to doing that. 

I love how this line sums up everything:

"yelling shuts down the communication; it severs the bond; it causes people to separate—instead of come closer."

source

It's become so easy for me to yell over the smallest things when I'm sleepy, hungry, or overwhelmed. Or even when my kids are asking for attention when I'm busy with something (like blogging!). And no matter how hard you try to put everything in order, there will be instances when they write on the walls, break something, try to put their fingers through the electric fan, step on the iPad, and many many more... And my initial response would be to yell stuff like "NO! WHY DID YOU DO THAT? STOP THAT! THAT'S BAD!" I see it as a way to discipline them, to prevent them from getting hurt, because I love them. 

But I have to realize that they don't know what they're doing is wrong. They're babies and these are all new to them. It's important to understand that we are there to teach our children. My job as a parent is to educate them and not get annoyed when they do something I'm sure they had no idea was wrong. By yelling at them, we instill fear in them to try new things, to explore, to be themselves. I've noticed lately that when my 3 year old daughter does something, her immediate response is to say "SORRY!" even when it isn't her fault or it was just an accident. It made me realize that maybe I've been scolding her way too much that's why it's become normal for her to apologize over everything. I definitely don't want my kids to be scared of me that is why I am thankful for this article because it has really inspired me and opened my eyes to change.

Here are some more beautiful words from the article to end this post:

"The important thing is … it’s not too late to stop yelling.

The important thing is … children forgive–especially if they see the person they love trying to change.

The important thing is … life is too short to get upset over spilled cereal and misplaced shoes.

The important thing is … no matter what happened yesterday, today is a new day.

Today we can choose a peaceful response.

And in doing so, we can teach our children that peace builds bridges—bridges that can carry us over in times of trouble."

Read the complete article The Important Thing About Yelling HERE.

Rugs Galore

I love doing online window shopping and one of my addictions these days is stalking the RUGSUSA.com website. I am going crazy over all these fabulous rugs! And what's worse is that they always have a sale or promo so I'm just itching to buy one. Good thing they don't ship to the Philippines otherwise, I'd be in big trouble with the hubby hehe! Although I'm aware about these online sites which can ship products for you from abroad, but I just don't like the huge shipping fees. And with the size and weight of a rug, I'm sure it'll be big. So for now, I'll just droll over these babies and do a lot of wishful thinking... ;p