Happy New Year!

I'm BAAAAACK! Just in time to bid 2018 goodbye! After me and hubby got back from our vacation last November, I was so busy with the kids and prepping for Christmas that I just had to take a break from blogging. But I promise to be back soon to tell you all about London and Scotland! :)

Anyway, here are some of the things I've been busy with the past few weeks.

KEEP MY PASSPORT Service When Applying for a UK Tourist Visa

My husband availed the Keep My Passport service when we applied for a UK Tourist Visa. The thing is, it's so hard for him to apply for any visa since he's always traveling for work. So when we saw that they had this option, we definitely took advantage of it.

Applying for a UK Tourist Visa in the Philippines

By the time this post comes out, hubby and I will be in London for a glorious vacation away from the kids! lol ;p Actually, we're celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary although a bit earlier. Our anniv is in February but I don't think I can handle freezing London in winter.

Anyway, the first step is of course getting a tourist visa and I handled everything for me and my husband. Siyempre, he'll be paying for the trip so it's the least I can do right? ;p

Tokyo Travel Diaries: Harry Hedgehog Cafe in Harajuku

Animal cafes are all the rage in Japan, but I've honestly never been interested in visiting one (I'm scared haha). But my friend, who I was with during my last visit to Tokyo, is super into it and made it a point to include this in our itinerary. She dragged me to a regular cat cafe, a Bengal Cat and Owl cafe, and finally to a hedgehog cafe!

Tokyo Travel Diaries: Koishikawa Korakuen Garden

Autumn is definitely my favorite season. I just love how the weather is cold, but not too cold. How the leaves are all red and yellow. How I can finally wear all my coats and sweaters lol! I'm sure Japan is one of the top destinations during fall/winter, and one of the places I visited during my last trip to Tokyo was the Koishikawa Korakuen Garden.

DIY School Supplies Family Costume

It's Halloween time again! I admit I was a bit lazy at first with the kids' costumes this year. Usually I have a theme all planned out months in advance, but before I knew it, I realized it was October already and we had nothing! I just wanted to buy something but when I told my daughter to choose from an online store, she looked at me incredulously and said "You're NOT making our costumes?! You HAVE to!!!" Ooops, that's what I get from them being used to all my DIY projects haha!

Color Coordinated Bookshelves

I've always dreamed of having bookshelves in my living room to display all my stuff. And now finally, it's here!

Decluttering and Organizing our home (part 1)

I'm sure I'm not the only one with dreams of having a perfectly clutter-free home. Especially for those with kids, it's such a struggle to keep everything neat and orderly with their endless toys, books, clothes, and shoes everywhere! I mean you've just put back all their toys in the bin and arranged their books on the shelf, and barely 10 minutes have passed and they dump everything on the floor again! Honestly, why do we even bother?!

Anyway, I've been seeing a lot of those professional organizers online these days, hired by celebrities to tidy up their closets. I wish I had the budget for one, but I know I can do it as long as I put my mind to it! Challenge accepted! ;p

DIY Lampshade Makeover

Lamps are a great way to accessorize any room. And customizing the shade with fabric is a great way to add color or pattern to the space.

A day at the Australia Zoo

I grew up watching Steve Irwin and all his Crocodile Hunter adventures on TV. I remember when he died in that tragic accident, I couldn't believe it and was so heartbroken. Anyway, it's always been a dream of mine to visit the Australia Zoo which is owned by the Irwin family. We weren't able to visit the first time we went to Brisbane, but luckily we were able to come back a year later and this time I made sure not to miss it!

A kid's guide to the Manila International Book Fair on Sept. 12-16, 2018

Wonderful novels and storybooks, what more can excite a book-loving kid than thousands and thousands of these? The 39th Manila International Book Fair is certainly a child’s paradise that can be overwhelming to kids. But be not afraid! Here’s a guide especially made for kids at this year’s MIBF, slated on Sept. 12-16, 2018 at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City!

DIY: Painting our front door RED

I've been wanting to give our front door a fresh coat of paint for the longest time, and it's finally done!

Divisoria shopping loot 2018

I probably go to Divisoria once a year and it's usually when we have balikbayan relatives who want to go shopping there. Anyway, my brother-in-law and his fiancée are getting married next year and they wanted to check out Divi for stuff they can use for their wedding. So of course, I had to tag along!

First time at HMR Trading Haus

HMR is your surplus store where you can buy furniture, appliances, clothes, and other general merchandise imported from retail outlets in Australia, Europe, and US. I've heard of it before from people who found some amazing deals, and it's only now that I got to visit a store.

Our day at Ocean Park Hong Kong

This past summer, we went to Hong Kong to celebrate my son Sabre's 7th birthday. It was originally supposed to be an entire Disneyland trip, where we would stay in the Explorers Lodge Hotel for 3 days and get the 2-day theme park ticket. But then I was surprised when my two older kids said they didn't want to go to Disneyland anymore (probably since they've already been there a few years ago) and would much rather go to Ocean Park.

The last time I visited Ocean Park was years ago when I was still a teenager. Hubby's last time was way back when he was 7 years old! Plus, hubby and I went to Disneyland a few months before to celebrate my birthday, so we were totally onboard with just going to Ocean Park instead.

Our Rainbow Vacuum Demo experience (to buy or not to buy?)

I've been referred to have a Rainbow vacuum demo a number of times before, but I've always said no since I know how expensive it is. But I've read such great reviews about it in online mommy groups, saying how it was SO worth it since the unit can last for decades and they have superb after-sales service. And since my family can be prone to allergy attacks, I figured it was time to see for myself if we should indeed get one.

Alice in Wonderland costume for Book Week

For Book Week this year, my daughter decided to go as Alice In Wonderland. She was Little Red Riding Hood for Grade 1 and Hermoine Granger last year. I've been wanting to do Alice for the longest time so I'm so happy she finally chose this character.

DIY Harry Potter costume

It's Book Week again at school! And I didn't have to worry about my son's costume since I just recycled it from his sister's last year. ;p

DIY: Turning culotte pants into a skirt

I have this cute pair of culottes, but I never really liked the way it fit especially in the crotch and butt area (way too tight). But I really liked the striped material, so I decided to just turn it into a skirt!

Drive-By Taco Shop in BF Homes

After my sewing class a few weeks ago, hubby and I decided to have merienda at Drive-By Taco Shop located in Aguirre Avenue in BF Homes.

New Online Shopping Buys (plus try-on)

It's really dangerous to browse Instagram sometimes since you get sucked into online shopping especially if you follow all these IG sellers! And it's also sale season now, so a lot of them are having huge discounts which makes it even harder to resist. But buying online can be tricky since you can't fit the clothes, so read on to see which items were a hit or a miss.

Learning to sew at SEW EASY Studio

I remember my Lola was amazing at sewing. She would make clothes for me and my cousins when we were kids, entire dresses with ruffles, puffed sleeves, and aprons! I wish I had asked her to teach me back then, but I guess it wasn't interesting to me when I was younger.

We then had sewing classes when I was in High School and I remember the machines were not as easy to use as they are now. Parang un hand wheel that you turn on the side reminds me of Sleeping Beauty's spindle haha! Joke lang, I'm not that old ha! ;p But it was more of just passing the class rather than really learning and understanding how to sew.

Fast forward many years later and now using a sewing machine is a skill I wish I had. I would just hand sew everything when adjusting hems on clothes to curtains and it takes so long! And sometimes, I would think I can make pillow cases or even a simple dress if I just had a sewing machine.

So it was just luck when I chanced upon Sew Easy's Facebook page and saw that they were having "June Half Price Saturday” promo classes for adults. It was for one session only (the usual is 2) and cost P2,500 for a 2.5 hour class. I quickly signed up for the last slot just in time.

Giving our gate a fresh coat of paint

I've hardly done any DIY projects inside the house lately since I guess I've been pretty happy with how everything is so far. However, one thing I neglected was the outside. And that something was our GATE.

Finally got my driver's license card after almost a year! (LTO Alabang)

I renewed my driver's license last year and as expected, the card itself was not available and would be released months later (I renewed August 2017 and release date was April 2018).

Video game fun at PlayboxPH

My two older kids were invited to a video game party last weekend here in the BF Homes area. We've been to Puzzles before, which is a board game lounge, so I was pleasantly surprised to know that there was a simlar concept but for video games.

Our stay at Pico Sands Hotel

Our last hurrah for the summer was a trip to Pico de Loro to celebrate hubby's birthday. We've been here several times in the past, but this was our first time to stay in Pico Sands Hotel.

Our stay at Cala Laiya

I was looking for beach recommendations somewhere in Batangas and found Cala Laiya through one of my mommy groups in Facebook. I wanted to try it since it was new and luckily they had an available room when I inquired.

After I posted some pics in my IG, a lot of people messaged me asking about the place, so I made sure to blog about it soon ;p

Bounce Trampoline Park in SM Southmall

If you're a parent and it's summer, then you're probably always looking for activities that your kids can do. Whether it's enrolling them in various classes or workshops, planning vacations, or just trying to get them out of the house to lessen their screen time lol! ;p

I've been wanting to bring them to a trampoline park but the ones that initially opened are located quite far from us (there's Jumpyard in Pasig and Trampoline Park in Mandaluyong). So when Bounce Philippines finally opened in SM Southmall, now was our chance!

Our stay at Hong Kong Disney Explorers Lodge

For our son Sabre's 7th birthday, we decided to just go to Hong Kong for a family vacation. Personally, I think I've become more practical through the years since his Ate Miley also didn't have a big party when she turned 7. We just celebrated in McDonald's because she wanted to have her own room as her main gift. I guess going on a trip was also a good idea since Sabre's birthday is during the summer. So it was the perfect time to travel since they wouldn't have to miss school or anything.

Anyway, I definitely wanted to book in a Disney hotel even for one night since the kids had so much fun the last time when we stayed in Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. This time, I wanted to try the Explorers Lodge since it's the newest hotel which only opened last year (April 30, 2017).

Featuring an “adventure” theme, the resort’s third hotel sits on a breathtaking waterfront location and has 750 rooms, three restaurants, four gardens, and an outdoor swimming pool. The exploration theme expands to the four unique tropical climates of Asia, Oceania, South America and Africa.

Giant Ball Pit in SM BF!

We were in SM City BF a few days ago and on our way to the grocery, the boys spotted this huge ball pit in the ground floor of the main atrium. Of course what could I do but let them jump in!

Sabre's 7th birthday photoshoot

Sabre turned 7 years old last week and we all know this is a big milestone in any child's life. We didn't have a big party and just chose to go to Hong Kong for a family vacation. He did have a small pool party though so he could still celebrate with a few friends.

The Lion King Musical at Solaire

Finally, hubby and I got to catch the Lion King Musical at Solaire last April 25.

A 7th Birthday Pool Party

For my son Sabre's 7th birthday, we just decided to go to Hong Kong for a family vacation instead of having a big party. However, he said he still wanted to celebrate with his friends so we just threw him a small pool party right after we got back from our trip.

Our stay in APA Hotel (Tokyo, Japan)

I'm back! I know I haven't been blogging as much lately, and it's mainly beacuse I've just been enjoying the summer break with the family. We just came back from Brisbane a few weeks ago and we're actually leaving again in a couple of days to celebrate Sabre's 7th birthday! So I've been really busy packing because I'm so OC and I need to fix all the kids outfits and snacks and everything else in between!

Well if you're following me on Instagram, then you might remember me taking a little trip to Tokyo late last year. I've been actually seeing so many people in Japan right now because of cherry blossom season which is giving me total travel envy!

Anyway, if you're planning a trip to Japan soon, I just want to share where me and my friend stayed in Tokyo. My friend was actually the one who booked in an APA Hotel (via Agoda) which is located in Higashi-Shinjuku Kabukicho.

Toronto Trip: An afternoon at Centre Island

Centre Island is just a few minutes away from downtown Toronto by ferry. It is home to family-friendly attractions, loads of green space, bicycle paths, eateries and more. After being in Toronto for more than a week, it was definitely a great escape from all the hustle and bustle of the city.

A ‘Sunny Playtime’ with Iya and Primo Arellano

Celebrity mom Iya Villania-Arellano admits she has forgotten how relatively easy her daily routines were before Baby Primo arrived. “I’m not sure how I balance my career with being a mom and a wife; it just happens!” she beams.

“When you know what's important and what you need to get done, then you make it happen. It's important that I list things down so I don't forget. I really need to put things down in my calendar even if its date night with Drew or a playdate for Primo.”

It’s no wonder why Iya was the natural choice of Cosmetique Asia, the makers of Bambini Baby Cologne, to be its newest endorser, together with Primo. Bambini Baby Cologne underwent a brand refresh with a new look guaranteed to appeal to the young ones.

Toronto Trip: Exploring the Royal Ontario Museum

To be honest, I'm not such a fan of museums. I actually like history, but sometimes I get bored easily and would rather just take photos. Hubby, on the other hand, loves going to museums. He explores every little nook and cranny, checks out all the displays, and reads all those little information cards that explain what the exhibit is all about. Most of the time, I just sit down somewhere and wait for him until he's done lol. ;p

Toronto Trip: CN Tower

I really like visiting towers when in a different country (like in Seoul and Tokyo) so I can see the view of the city from way up high. When we were in Toronto, the CN Tower was definitely on top of our itinerary, considering it is the city's most famous landmark.

Downtown Toronto: Things to See and Do

I'm a city girl at heart and I just love walking around bustling streets, surrounded by shopping malls, restaurants, hotels, and offices. Downtown Toronto is no exception, with it's many attractions that offer such a huge array of things to do to.

Unli Korean BBQ at SamgyeopMasarap (SM BF)

SamgyeopMasarap is the latest restaurant to open in SM City BF. If you love Korean food and also buffets, then this is a good place to try.

The Big Bad Wolf Book Fair at World Trade Center

I love reading and collecting books ever since I was a kid. I remember I would ask Santa for books instead of toys, like the Sweet Valley and Baby-Sitters Club series, which I had practically every issue of. I had so much that I eventually sold them in a garage sale years ago, but I still kept my favorites which hopefully my daughter will enjoy as well.

I first found out about the Big Bad Wolf Book Fair on Instagram. To be honest, I wasn't planning to go since I still have so much unread books from the National Bookstore sale earlier this year. And I was trying to limit my spending already after all my shopping from the End of Season sales.

But seeing all the positive posts from people who've gone to the book fair made me decide to finally go yesterday. And I'm glad I did!

Toronto Trip: The Distillery District

Just remembered I still have a bunch of travel posts from late last year when we visited Toronto. Here's my travel diary when we went to The Distillery District neighborhood, which is a national historic site and home to quaint cobblestone streets.

A Valentine's Date at EVIA

To be honest, me and hubby don't really go out on Valentine's Day since we try to avoid the traffic and for sure all the restaurants will be full (check out my post about it a few years ago). But this year was different, all thanks to Evia Mall!

A Pineapple & Flamingo Party!

My eldest turned 8 years old a few days ago and I really can't believe how time has flown!

#ValentinesatEVIA - In The Mood Food Crawl

I've been to Evia Mall only once before, almost exactly a year ago. I loved their atrium which was so bright and spacious, and best of all, air-conditioned! It's a perfect neighborhood mall, just the right size with all the necessities like a supermarket, cinemas, shops (Mango, Uniqlo, H&M to name a few), and lots of dining options to choose from.

I remember me and hubby walking around last year, just checking all the restaurants and what they had to offer. And fast forward to now, I finally get a chance to try out most of these places!

Last February 6, Mothers Who Brunch hosted another fabulous event - a food crawl, wherein we got to explore seven (yes 7!) amazing restaurants right here in Evia Lifestyle Center.

January End of Season Sale Haul 2018

Seriously, I should really avoid going to malls when there are sales since I just can't resist shopping! I mean practically all the stores are on sale, it's crazy! I already did a PART 1 of what I got so far, and here's just a continuation from my recent shopping sprees.

Oldest, Middle, Youngest

My dear friend gave me these shirts for the kids last Christmas and I immediately did a photoshoot with them wearing it. It says "I'm the OLDEST I make the rules", "I'm in the MIDDLE I'm the reason we have rules", and "I'm the YOUNGEST the rules don't apply to me". Super cute (and true) right? ;p

First shopping haul for 2018!

Ahhh, SALE season. It's one of the things I love about the new year. If you go to the malls now, practically every store is having their End of Season sale. I couldn't help myself and went to Makati a few days ago and although I tried very hard to just "look", I ended up buying a few stuff.

I first went to Zara and although I tried a ton of clothes, I restrained myself and just bought a top and jeans.

All Aboard! A Train Themed Birthday Party

Skyler is now 4 years old, and as you all know, I love doing different themes for my kids' birthdays every year. Even if it's just a simple set-up at home, I still want it to be special so they'll have nice photos to look back on when they grow up.

Lobby Lounging at Okada Manila

My mommy group of fellow housewives had our Christmas get-together at Okada Manila towards the end of December. We all hadn't been here before so we were excited to see the place, especially the grand fountain show said to rival Las Vegas’ Bellagio.

We were deciding on the different restaurants they had, pero honestly parang lahat super mahal haha! And we definitely were planning on staying for a couple of hours, so the best choice was their Lobby Lounge.