Monde Summer Mamon-It-Yourself

When I was still younger and didn’t have kids back then, the only thing I thought about during summer was where to go on vacation, what new books to read, or what to watch on TV. Now that I have my own children, it’s all about keeping them engaged and finding what activities or classes to sign them up for so that they can have a productive summer.

I’ve already enrolled Miley in ballet and swimming lessons, while Sabe will be going to soccer camp. Mind you, these activities do not come cheap and unfortunately, they also don’t get to interact with each other since they’re taking different classes. Hubby and I also just watch from the sidelines, just like all the other parents. So even though all these extra-curricular activities are great, I still think it’s important to have quality bonding time wherein we would all do things together as a family.

That’s why I was so excited when I was invited by Nuffnang to the MONDE Summer Mamon-It-Yourself  event last April 5, which was held at Yardstick Coffee in Makati. It was a family event, so we got to bring along our hubbies and kids which made it even more special.

When we got to the venue, we were greeted by such a lovely set-up featuring rows and rows of mamon and all kinds of toppings and ingredients which will be used for the activity - Mamon-It-Yourself (MIY)!

Now you all know I’m a DIY girl at heart, so I just found this whole idea so genius! Imagine, the mamon has been around for so long (it’s been a constant baon of mine ever since I was in gradeschool) and I never even thought that this snack can suddenly be so exciting and fun to eat in more ways than one for the whole family! But I’m getting way ahead of myself... Let me take you through the event and how our fun-filled day went. :)

First, I really love that they had a photobooth which printed our Instagram pictures right on the spot with the hashtags #MondeSummerMIY and #MamonItYourself. Check it out on Instagram for more pics from the event from the other mommy bloggers who were there. :)

The event was hosted by Delamar Arias from RX93.1 (ultimate fan-girl mode!) who also brought her son Cooper (cuteness overload!). Can I just say how starstruck I was since I’ve been a “Silent Rusher” for the longest time and I’ve been listening to her and Chico Garcia’s show since I was a kid??? I told hubby I wasn’t leaving until I had a photo with her... Success! ;p

After lunch, Chef Mitchie Sison did a demonstration of 3 simple recipes for the mamon toppings: Cream Cheese & Bacon, Cookies & Cream, and Swiss Butter Cream. Who would have thought the mamon could look this glamorous? It’s really just such a great idea, I swear!

Now I’ve said it before that I am definitely challenged when it comes to cooking, but baking is something I am willing to try especially with my kids. We’ve done a couple of those easy bake banana breads and brownies, but nothing from scratch. So what I love is the delicious mamon is already the perfect blank canvass to just add whatever ingredients or toppings that suit your fancy. From cornflakes, peanut butter, fruits, chocolate, nuts, candies, marshmallows, ice cream, or whatever you may have at home! With the mamon’s flat base, the ideas and choices are endless! Monde Special Mamon is made with real fresh eggs, imported wheat flour, and milk. Baked to be delicious!

She also taught us how to make and put icing on the mamon using a piping bag. Aside from the usual frostings, you can also draw letters or numbers on the mamon to make it more educational for the kids.

Grace Barbers-Baja, aka The Spoiled Mummy, also shared some of her recipe ideas with the mamon - like cheesy ensaymada, peanut butter & banana or using her favourite ingredients like strawberries and chocolate (which she called her “Spoiled Mamon” lol ;p). Plus some tips on how to make kids’ snacks healthier by adding ingredients which they won’t notice (like chia seeds for example). 

After that, it was finally time for us to decorate our own mamons! We were all given ingredients and toppings to make whatever creations we wanted. Everyone got busy and uber creative with their mamons! It was super fun and addicting haha. :)

Yes, we take mamon decorating very seriously! ;

Our masterpieces!

And that’s not all! After the decorating activity, all the moms were further surprised with a super cute video with messages from our kids. I’m sure every mom there felt so special and loved. Watch the video below to see more snippets from the event itself! :) 

Plus, the children also presented us with special mamons which they decorated themselves while us moms were busy watching the demos. Awwwww!

Thank you baby! I love it!

This was not only such a fun event, but a great bonding experience with the family. MONDE was also so generous to provide all of us with our very own mamon decorating kits to take home! We were all so happy since we were able to have our own Mamon-It-Yourself activity the very next day with Sabe this time (who wasn’t able to join us at the event since he was sick, poor baby). Miley was so excited to teach her little brother all the things she had learned. And he not only enjoyed putting the toppings on the mamon, but eating them too haha! :)

I know that summer is a wonderful time to open children to the world around them. Mamon-It-Yourself is the perfect activity to encourage the curiosity of young minds and tap their inner creativity. It also allows kids to use all 5 senses - sight (all the wonderful and assorted colors), hearing (listening to mommy and daddy give helpful instructions), smell (the various aromas and scents of the ingredients), touch (the different textures of the toppings), and of course taste (eating the finished product!). So go ahead and try it out too with your kids and family! You can also find lots of topping ideas on their website www.monde.com.ph. And don’t forget to post your wonderful creations with the hashtag #MamonItYourself.

So thank you to MONDE Special Mamon for coming up with this genius idea that is Mamon-It-Yourself! Now, I can keep my kids’ hands and minds busy this summer, all while spending time together as a family in discovering new things. :)

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One fine day

I have to admit, there are days that I just want to stay at home to watch TV, catch up on my blogging, and find time to do all my DIY projects. Of course going to the mall is another thing, I'm always game for that. :) But what I'm saying is that sometimes, I tend to forget that my kids need to experience and play in the outdoors too. I'm embarrassed to say that there are moments when I have such a hard time prying my kids away from watching cartoons or playing with the iPad. I guess turning on the TV or handing them the iPad is such a easy excuse to get a little time for yourself. But what I need to keep reminding myself is to allow them to experience the simple joys in life, just like what we had before all this technology was invented.

So one afternoon, we all trooped to the park for a little picnic and tea time. I brought Miley's teacups and saucers and that's where we drank juice and ate cookies. I swear, I think I was the one who was enjoying the most! It just brought me back to when I was a kid with me and my cousins. Back then, we loved spending time in the playground, or just laying around in the grass looking for bugs and picking flowers.

cheers!

After, it was time for some kite flying. The kids kept running around trying to get the kite up. The breeze wasn't that strong at first but after a few tries, Miley had some luck!

We were just in time for "golden hour", which is the last hour of sunlight during the day. They say this is the best time to take pictures because it produces really dramatic results. What do you think? I totally love all the shots hubby took, especially the ones below with the sunlight piercing through the trees. And I totally didn't realize it, but both Sabe and I ended up going barefoot! We took our shoes off when we were having our picnic and once we started flying the kite, I guess we just forgot to put them back on. And let me tell you, the feeling was so liberating haha!

this is my absolute favorite shot from the day :)

I swear, this was one of the best afternoons we've had. I promise myself that I will make time for more of these moments, so the kids can learn to appreciate nature and bonding with family all the more. :)

Father-daughter Timezone fun

Before going to Kimpura for lolo's dinner, we passed by Timezone in Greenbelt first so that Miley could have some fun. She loves playing in Timezone and this was the first time that her Daddy went with her. I just love seeing them have so much fun together. And they were both so hardcore with the games! I really think Miley will be a sporty chick when she grows up, just like her dad. =)

Last minute Christmas shopping

So many things to do, so little time! As of now, I’m still not even halfway done with wrapping Christmas presents! With watching the kids all day, I always tell myself that I’ll get down to finishing everything after they go to bed. But when they finally fall asleep, I’m already so tired I don’t have any energy left to wrap even a single gift!

With Christmas just around the corner, I realized that I still had some last minute shopping to do. So today, after we dropped Miley off at my in-laws so we could bring Sabe to the doctor for his monthly check-up and measles shot, I convinced Vins that we had to go to the mall after (yahoo!). 

Oh how I’ve missed you Glorietta! As I mentioned in my previous post, since we moved to the south, I’ve had to say goodbye to my favorite malls. When we were still living at my old house, I’d always be at MOA or Glorietta every weekend (or even on weekdays since I worked in Makati). 

When we got there, I saw that they had already opened the area near the SM walkway that had been under construction for quite some time now. No stores yet but still, excitement!!!

Vins and I were like little kids going from store to store. Sabe was such a good little boy sitting in his stroller. He’d get impatient after a while and would want to get picked up, but other than that, he was just perfect!

Here we are in Nike waiting for Vins to try on some running shoes. After the 5th shoe store I told Vins: "Akala ko ba Christmas shopping? E bat parang shoe shopping na to?!" And to think Vins just bought running shoes 2 weeks ago! Haaay I'm not the only shoe addict in this family! Well, I can't blame him, the prices and stocks in G4 are better than the ones in Town Center. Vins was pissed coz his new running shoes cost cheaper here plus it came in black which looked nicer than the blue ones he got (tsk tsk, told him kasi to look around first muna, but NO, didn't listen to me. ayan tuloy! ;p).

But anyway, after going around and buying everything we needed, I checked on Sabe in his stroller and this is what I found. Awwww!

So glad I was able to spend time with my boys today. Bonding -check! Shopping- check! Now, back to wrapping presents after I wrap up this post (hihi corny!).
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