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!

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!

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

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!

DIY Hermione Granger costume

Now it's my daughter's turn to dress up for Book Week at school and she wanted to be none other than Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid costume for Book Week

It's Book Week again at school and to celebrate, there will be a parade where the kids should dress up as their favorite book character. Last year, my daughter came as Little Red Riding Hood. This year, it was my son's turn and he actually came up with the idea of going as Greg Heffley from Diary of a Wimpy Kid!

BEAR BRAND reinforces TIBAY through “Ang Alamat ng Matibay” Children’s Book

As part of its continuing efforts to help nourish generations of Filipino families to good health, BEAR BRAND Powdered Milk Drink has added a new dimension to its TIBAY campaign with the launch of its 1st children’s book entitled Ang Alamat ng Matibay, which highlights the importance of tibay ng kalooban.

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 A simple and beautifully illustrated story that teaches children how tibay ng loob can help them overcome obstacles in order to achieve their goals, Ang Alamat ng Matibay revolves around the kind and loving Mina, a child beset with fears. When her teddy bear, which she regards as her best friend, was stolen, the ever respectful Mina goes on a search mission in an enchanted world where she was forced to conquer all her fears and thus develop tibay ng loob. As she embarks on her adventure, she not only finds her lost best friend, she also develops a friendship with the toy thief Anino.

This is part of BEAR BRAND Powdered Milk Drink’s long-running Tibay campaign, which espouses Tibay ng Katawan, Kalooban, at Isipan.  

“Today’s parents regard tibay ng loob as an important factor to help their kids succeed in life.  But honing tibay ng loob among children must start when they are still young in order to prepare them for the challenges that life brings,” explained Willy de Ocampo, Nestlé Philippines Team Lead for BEAR BRAND.

BEAR BRAND, in partnership with The Storytelling Project, Klasrum ng Pag-asa, Art Attack, and National Bookstore will donate 10,000 copies of the book to select public schools and partner organizations.  The book will also be available in selected branches of National Bookstore starting December 15, 2014. 

“We would like to promote tibay ng loob to as many Filipino school children as possible and our partner-organizations will help us reach out to them,” Jojo dela Cruz, Nestlé Philippines Business Executive Manager for Dairy, Health and Nutrition Solution, explained.  “By providing schools and communities with copies of the book, we hope to foster among school children the importance of strength of character and strength of will, values that they can bring with them as they journey through life.  We hope that through Ang Alamat ng Matibay, we can help mold the future leaders of our country.”

Nestle Bear Brand launches the ALAMAT NG MATIBAY BOOK in partnership with DepEd, The Storytelling Project, Klasrum ng Pag-asa, and National Bookstore. 

*Press Release

Photo of the Day: Read with your Mummy!

I found this picture so cute which was included in Miley's compilation CD from her year in nursery. Isn't she so wacky? Ang galing talaga mag emote! ;p And I have to say that she really loves books and always asks me to read her a story or just make one up. Our favorite is the story about "Miley-rella", the princess who doesn't want to sleep. I always tell this to her when she refuses to take a nap in the hopes of getting her to sleep... pero it never seems to work hehe!

We've been so busy lately and I'm so behind on so many posts! I can't wait to share our little vacation in the beach, a photoshoot that Miley and I did, plus we also have to attend 2 events later today which I'll also be blogging about soon. All the kids were also sick last week with colds (including poor baby Skyler!). But thankfully they're all ok now because there's so many upcoming activities this April like the start of their summer classes.

Anyway, hope everyone's having a great weekend! :)

My fab finds at the National Bookstore Cut-Price Sale

Yey it's that time of the year again - National Bookstore's biggest book sale! Here are my lucky finds from the Glorietta branch the other day. Home design books at 50% off! And these were hardbound ones too. Super sulit!

I still can't get over the fact that this book is just P197.00!!!

Sophie Kinsella is one of my favorites authors and this book was 10% off - from P275 to P247.

I got this book for the kids and didn't even think it was included in the sale since it had no sticker. It was P299 and I already thought it was a good deal since the book was hardbound and really big. Imagine my surprise when it became just P89 at the cash register! Winner!

I also got this hardbound Children's Encyclopedia from P159 to P127.25. The pictures inside are really nice. :)

But I think it was Hubby who found the best buy of them all. He got this book which was marked down from the original price of P1,145 to just P100!!!

The Cut-Price Book Sale is only until Sunday, September 8 so head over to National Bookstore fast if you want to get your hands on some cheap books! :)

On my bedside table: Design Inspiration (part 2)

Meet my new babies! They now join my other books on decorating, a small collection I plan on growing. To be honest, I never buy hardbound books since they're so expensive (which is why I only buy them when they're on sale!). But for these design ones, I make an exception. Can't wait to get more ideas for new projects around the house! =)

National Bookstore's Cut-Price Sale

You can still catch the nationwide book sale happening until August 19, 2012. This is one sale I look forward to since this is the only time I completely splurge on books (especially hardbound ones)! Happy reading! =)

Fifty Shades of Grey

I've been seeing a lot of other bloggers write about this book, so I'll also give it a go since I'm dying to tell you what I think about it. A friend asked me last month if I had already read 50 Shades of Grey. I hadn't and in fact just saw the books displayed prominently at National Bookstore. I had absolutely no idea what the books were about so I googled it and was surprised to learn that it is an erotic novel which features BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism, and masochism).

Ok, so what can I say about the books? I am now on book 3 and I'm honestly finding it hard to finish it. The writer admits it is badly written and I have to agree. The books actually started as Twilight fan fiction and for me, you can really tell. She just changed the names of Edward and Bella, transferred the setting, and removed the vampire part. This book is about 75% sex and there are times I already find the situations and dialogue so cheesy and absurd! At first the scenes are exciting but then after a while, I can't help but roll my eyes and think "AGAIN?!! Wala bang kapaguran tong mga to?" And at first the inner goddess and lip-biting thing was tolerable, but after repeating it for every freaking paragraph, it just became flat out ANNOYING! And how is it that Christian never runs out of "foil packets"? Always prepared! 

I've told my hubby about the book and all he can say is "How did that become a bestseller? That's just Xerex!" Well, my friend sent me the e-books and I have to be honest and say that I have in turn sent it to my other friends. I believe this book is doing so well because of word of mouth. Anything worth talking about is worth sharing right? And me and my friends have discussed and laughed about this book. I mean, you just cannot take this book seriously. It is not a great literary work of art but a part of pop culture. Would you believe it is now the fastest-selling paperback of all time surpassing the Harry Potter series? Wow! Plus, I've read the sales of sex toys and accessories have increased significantly since the book came out (source). Good for them and for the people who are now more willing to experiment! Definitely, this book is a juicy and titallating read, which is probably why it has sold millions and millions of copies. I also think its because past erotic novels were mostly set in the olden times, so having modern day characters makes all the difference.

The only thing this book has got going for me is that I can totally imagine Ian Somerhalder as Christian Grey. I mean, look at him! He's exactly like the book describes Christian to be. *swoon!* He should totally be cast in the movie otherwise I'm not watching! haha!

source

Anyway, I saw this article online and would like to share it with you for a good laugh. Presenting, the 

15 Best/Worst Lines from Erotic Bestseller "Fifty Shades of Grey":

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If you enjoyed that, go ahead and grab a copy of the books (if you haven't yet) haha! If you feel the same way as I do, try reading this review as well. It's one of the best (and funniest) reviews for me since I completely agree 100%! =)

Our Little Flower Girl

I was in National Bookstore when I saw this book and I knew I just had to get it. And it was on sale too at just P100! Even better. =)

You see, the little girl on the cover looks just like Miley when she became a flower girl for the first time last year. Look, they're even wearing the same yellow gown!

Mommy & Miley all glammed up

Miley was about 1 year and 8 months during the wedding, the youngest among all the flower girls. She was really more like a saling-pusa haha! We were already expecting her NOT to walk, so we agreed that Vins would carry her if ever (I was not willing to risk tripping on my long gown and heels).

When they were lining up, two of the other flower girls were crying and didn't want to walk too. I was so proud of Miley because even if she didn't want to walk, she didn't cry. Plus, she wore the headpiece and held the flowers all the way down the aisle. Good job baby!

During the ceremony, Miley went to the back of the church were she started loosening up and playing with her bouquet. I guess she was happy her part was over. =)

Anyway, back to the book. It's so cute since there's even a certificate inside to commemorate the day she became a flower girl. I should remind myself to fill that up.

The book also comes with free practice petals inside. I remember the months leading up to the wedding, we would make Miley practice walking. We even bought her a floral headpiece and a basket of flowers to make it more realistic. I was afraid she would remove the headpiece from her hair during the wedding, but good thing she didn't. I guess the most important thing to remember when your child is a flower girl (or has any part in the entourage) is to just relax and know that you can't control things. I had to remind myself not to be such a stage mom and not be upset or embarrassed if Miley didn't want to walk or smile. We must remember that we ourselves get nervous if we were the ones walking down the aisle with everybody looking at us. I'm sure kids also feel the same, maybe even more. So just enjoy the moment and remember that this is not about you or your child, but the couple who are getting married. It is their wedding after all right? =)

Anyway, this book is really made for Miley. Look at the last page of the book above and the picture below. Awww, exactly the same. =)

My brother-in-law is getting married next year, so we can expect Miley to be a flower girl again (and Sabe as ring bearer yey!). At least, she'll be a lot older by then so hopefully she'll already walk down the aisle. And what's perfect, this book will surely help us practice. =)

On my bedside table: Design Inspiration

My new books on decorating! Oh, how I wish I could hire Jonathan Adler to decorate our home. ;p

Despicable Me books

Remember how I told you here that Miley was obsessed with the movie Despicable Me? Well, there's this part in the movie where Gru reads this book to the girls called Sleepy Kittens. My sister mentioned that a friend of hers had the actual book, so when Vins went on a trip abroad, I told him to look for it. And he found it!

the cute finger puppet kittens

Miley loves it when we make the kittens drink the milk

the book doesn't come with a brush like in the movie, so Miley just used a regular comb to brush their fur

playing with the finger puppets

And that's not all. Daddy also bought another book, this time an abridged version of the movie! =)

happiness

doing the "does this count as annoying?" scene

Thank you Daddy for these new books! Can't wait for story time with the kids tonight. =)