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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Happy Mother's Day!

Thank you to my darling Sabre for this Mother's Day gift he made in school! I love it so much! :)

And another gift I got for today - Skyler just learned to roll over! This picture was taken just this morning. I can't believe how fast time flies! Pretty soon I'm sure he'll be crawling na...

Like they say, being a mother is definitely one of hardest jobs in the world (if not the hardest!) but definitely the most fulfilling. So again, Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! Especially to my own mom and also my mother-in-law. Thank you for always being there for us and loving us unconditionally. I love you both so much! :)

Sige Sabado with Breeze

I used to be a full-time working mom back when Miley was still our only child. I worked in advertising and it was a very demanding, hectic life. I barely had any time to spend with Miley since I was really tired when I got home (overtime galore!) and sometimes I also had to work during the weekends to attend events.

That’s why I consider myself so lucky that I was able to leave that life behind to be a full-time housewife now. Being able to spend every day with my kids and be there for the milestones is such a blessing.

As a stay-at-home mom, I try to find lots of activities the kids can do to keep them occupied throughout the day. That’s why I was so happy when I received this Sige Sabado Playbox from Breeze!

The playbox is filled with different materials for making fun activities like a tie dye kit, harlequin mask, raise a monggo plant, dinosaur egg bath soaps, popsicle names and pen holder, slime, animal balloon papier-mache, and chocolate drawing.

instructions

It encourages moms to bond with their kids over fun, simple activities. We also shouldn’t be afraid of our kids getting stains since these can easily be removed anyway. What’s important is the experience, the lessons, and the memories we are able to create with our children.

As expected, my kids were really excited with the Sige Sabado Playbox. They were always opening it up like a treasure box at different hours of the day, checking to see what activity they can do next.

I asked Miley what she wanted to do first and she chose the harlequin mask activity.

We cut up diamond shapes out of the felt paper and glued it to the mask. We also placed glue on the other areas and then sprinkled glitters on it for a sparkly look! :)

We love how our mask turned out!

We also did the DIY slime activity and I didn’t expect it to be so much fun! The kids loved mixing the ingredients and feeling the gooey texture of the slime. We kept laughing and pretended to be aliens with our green hands! ;p

I knew it would be messy but as Breeze says, sige lang sa mansta!

You too can share your Sige Sabado Moment with Breeze and get a chance to win a trip to LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort for 2!

Here’s how the promo works:

1. Users must LIKE the facebook fanpage: www.facebook.com/BreezePhilippines

2. Once a fan the user may access the Sige Sabado app

3. Go to the Breeze Sige Sabado application tab

4. Read the mechanics

5. Fill-up the form

6. Complete the Breeze tagline with your child's name: Sige Sabado moment with _________.

7. Create a photo showing your Sige Sabado moment

8. Upload your photo

9. Post your photo on the Breeze Sige Sabado app

It’s that simple! The promo runs from April 5 to May 31 so mag Sige Sabado bonding na with your kids! :)

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You are my Sunshine Blogger Award

Thank you Mrs. Panda for tagging me in the Sunshine Blogger Award. :)

The Rules:

1. Post a picture of the Sunshine Blogger Award.

2. Post 11 random facts about yourself.

3. Answer 11 questions from the nominating blogger.

4. Link back to the blogger who nominated you.

5. Nominate 11 wonderful bloggers that you feel bring sunshine to the blogging world.
6. Write 11 questions for your nominated bloggers.

So here goes! :)

11 Random Facts about ME:

1. I hate heights.  I have such an insane fear of it that when I’m just watching TV and there’s a scene on top of a really high building or mountain (especially bungee jumping!), my hands get all cold and clammy!

2. I never learned how to use chopsticks. Whenever we eat in a Chinese/ Japanese/Korean resto, I always have to ask for a spoon & fork.

3. I love reality shows. Local, international, name it, I’m probably watching it (or at least know about it).

4. I can’t swim.

5. I love biting my nails.

6. My all time favorite color is purple.

7. I used to have really bad asthma when I was a kid, but thankfully outgrew it. But what remained is my allergy to shrimps and cockroaches!

8. I know how to play the piano. Growing up, every Saturday morning was spent having piano lessons at home.

9. I always wanted (and still hope!) to have twins – a boy and a girl.

10. I used to be obsessed with the Mighty Ducks movies when I was a kid (I also had the biggest crush on Joshua Jackson haha!). Me and my friends all had roller-blades and one time I thought I could go down this steep road. I ended up rolling downhill and got such a big wound on my left knee. There’s still a scar there until now.

11. I’m a frustrated singer (mala-Anne Curtis lol!)

11 Questions from Mrs. Panda:

1. Your weirdest childhood dream? That I would get married to Prince William. Now, my dream is for Miley to marry Prince George haha!

2. Name of your first pet. A Chihuahua named Spike

3. Sesame street or Batibot. Batibot! Too bad they don’t have it na now, I’d love for my kids to watch it too.

4. French fries with ketchup or mayo. Definitely mayo! I also prefer to eat hotdogs or burgers with mayo instead of ketchup.

5. What is your best vacation/getaway idea? For a quick vacation, we like going to the Laiya, Batangas area. Or just check Agoda.com for good deals and low rates, even for a hotel staycation in the city.

6. Hot or cold water. Shower: hot, Drink: cold

7. Light shower at night? Yes or No? With this heat, yes!

8. SUV or Sedan? With 3 kids, we need an SUV. But if I’m driving, I prefer a Sedan.

9. Describe your 7th birthday. It was held at Manila Polo Club and I remember there was a magician and I was wearing this poofy dress.

10. Condo or House and lot? why? Both haha! I think if we didn’t have kids, I’d prefer a condo. But with our family, definitely a house & lot. Although I’d still hope to be able to buy a condo someday...

11. Why do you love to blog? Just want a place to be able to share my DIY projects & also have a sort of virtual diary to remember important events. I love being able to look back and be able to read all about my kids’ milestones, family trips and all my other experiences.

11 Questions for my Nominated Bloggers:

1. Where is your dream travel destination?

2. Favorite Disney character?

3. If you could learn how to play any instrument, what would it be?

4. Coke or Pepsi?

5. What’s one beauty product you can’t live without?

6. Who is your ultimate celebrity crush?

7. What is your favorite childhood memory?

8. Do you like your ice cream to be in a cup or a cone?

9. Favorite popcorn flavor?

10. Do your prefer co-ed or all girls/boys school for your kids? Why?

11. What do you consider your best blog post ever?

11 Nominated Bloggers of Mine:

Leah of leahdeleon.com

Marie of theflowerduet.blogspot.com

Chessy of youngmomlove.com

Donna of cheekeegirl.blogspot.com

Dewmaine of momsterteacher.com

Maqui of madammisismummy.wordpress.com

Jenny of prettypracticalmom.blogspot.com

Gracie of crazygraciegirl.blogspot.com

Van of joysofawifeandmom.com

Eper of thismomscorner.blogspot.com

Jannah of landofchos.blogspot.com

Hope you enjoy answering my questions as much as I had fun doing this post! :)

Sabe starts summer school

It's getting so hard for me to blog nowadays since Sabe has officially started summer classes. My day is spent driving him to school, waiting for him to finish the 2-hour class, then taking him out after for milk tea (his favorite!). I also usually do errands after with him in tow, like the grocery. When I get home, it's playtime with Miley and of course back to having Skyler attached to me with his marathon nursing sessions. I usually just want to lie in bed with the aircon on since this heat is making me too lazy to do anything!

Anyway, just like Miley last year, we enrolled Sabe in this month-long summer program (9-11 am / M-W-F) to get him used to the classroom feel before classes start in June. I already knew it would be more difficult with Sabe since he's more attached to us and has a bad case of separation anxiety. Unlike Miley who loves interacting with other children, Sabe also prefers to play alone or only with his Ate. He's also very possessive and hasn't really learned how to share (well, we're getting there...). Oh, and he bites too sometimes (ayayay!). So naturally, we were nervous on how he was going to act in a new environment with other kids.

As expected, it was already a struggle getting him to wake up early and get dressed. When we rode the car, he kept saying he wanted to go to the restaurant and not to school! When we got to the school, he seemed excited at first, but that only lasted for about a minute...

Since it was the first day, there were a LOT of kids crying and clinging to their parents/yayas. What was funny though is that all the crying kids were the BOYS! The girls were all very good, just playing happily with the toys and each other. I guess girls really mature faster than boys hehe. I mean Miley last year was also a bit hesitant on the first day but she didn't cry and enjoyed herself thoroughly with all the activities. We only needed to accompany her on the 1st day and then we were able to leave her already by herself by the 2nd day.

Now with Sabe, he started to panic once we stepped inside the classroom and he saw the crying kids. He immediately clung to me and started asking "WHERE'S ATE MILEY???" When he realized that his sister wouldn't be there, he started bawling and wanted to go home. I was carrying him trying to calm him down but he would reply to everything I said with a big fat NO or I DONT LIKE! He was screaming, crying, pulling me to the door... "I WANT TO GO HOOOOOOME!!!!!" I was already so tired, sweating like crazy, my hair a mess. And this was only the first 5 minutes! But don't worry, Sabe wasn't the noisiest. There was another boy who was worse than him lol! ;p

After a few more minutes, I was thankfully able to calm him down. The teacher called all the other kids to the front of the room to sing and dance. We were just in the back and Sabe agreed to play with some toys. He would occasionally join the song though (The Wheels on the Bus) so I knew there was hope!

Anyway, when it was time to play outside, Sabe actually got excited when he saw the slide. He played for a bit, then started to look for me again. He then remembered that he wanted to go home and even got his bag and started pulling me again towards the door. All I know is that I kept encouraging him to finish the class (maybe even some bribing was involved lol). He also did an arts & crafts activity and although it was only for a short while, I was still so proud of him.

I was able to take some pictures and it's so funny because when you look at it, you'll get the impression that he had so much fun and it was such a breeze. WRONG! Haha like I said, don't be fooled by the pics since he was crying almost 80% of the time! ;p

If on the first day almost all the parents/yayas were in the classroom, on the 2nd day we were only about 3 na lang. As expected, the school encourages the guardians to stay in the waiting area already so that the kids will learn to be independent. So I slipped out of the classroom, leaving Sabe when I saw him playing with the teacher. But after a few minutes, I could hear someone screaming and it sounded a lot like Sabe. So when I peeked in the window, I saw him being carried by the teacher crying unconsolably. I tried to give it a few more minutes but he wasn't stopping so I asked if I could go inside. Once he saw me, he stopped crying and just wanted to be carried. Of course, now he wouldn't let me out of his sight! But there was a huge improvement already since he was more willing to join in the activities compared to the first day. There was also less crying, as long as he could see me around.

We decided to already leave him alone in the next couple of days, so he could really get used to being in class without us. Of course, he would still cry and it would take all our effort not to go back inside but we know it's for his own good. The first day we left him, the teacher said that he was crying almost the entire 2 hours, but then after a while, he was able to calm down and even participate in some activities. The next day, the teacher said he only cried for about 10 minutes, then was already ok after. He still cries whenever we leave him but I know it will definitely get better (hopefully soon!).

He is definitely improving everyday and whenever we pick him up, he's so happy and excited to show us the stamp in his hand. We're halfway done with his summer classes so I hope that by the end of the program, Sabe will already be ready for his actual school in June. Fingers crossed! :)

A Transformers Birthday Party

My son Sabre just turned 3 years old last week! He is currently uhb-sessed with Transformers and Marvel Superheroes so I was on the fence on what theme his little celebration would be. But after asking him repeatedly, his answer would remain the same: TRANSFORMERS!

This is definitely a lot more simpler than what I did last year, since this wasn't really a party. We just had a simple lunch with the family, so I just wanted to do a little decorating to make Sabe's birthday feel more festive and special. And of course, it would look great in pictures hehe! I just loved the look on his face when he saw the decors on the morning of his birthday. He was especially thrilled with the cupcake toppers and it was a challenge taking these pics since he wanted to get them. Of course, his friends Optimus Prime and Bumblebee had to make a special appearance too. Enjoy the pics! :)

And what was our gift to the birthday boy? He has so many action figures already so I was so happy when I saw this Transformers scooter at the SMAC website which I got at 50% off! What a deal!

So again, happy 3rd birthday to our very own little robot Sabre! We love you so much! :)

Palm Beach Resort in San Juan, Batangas

Last month, we went on a little trip in San Juan, Batangas to celebrate the start of summer vacation. We stayed in Palm Beach Resort, located in Hugom, which runs along the same coastline of Laiya (it's actually the farthest and pinakadulong resort in the San Juan area). It's about a 2.5 to 3 hour drive from Makati via the Skyway / South Superhighway.

We've already stayed here in the past (this is our 3rd time) and we like it because the place is clean, the food is great, and the price is very affordable. It was also a special trip since it was Skyler's first time to go to the beach! :)

We got the CASITAS DELUXE, which was a beachfront suite good for a maximum of 6 people. I booked directly at their website and the response was very quick and efficient. We were 4 adults plus the 3 kids and this was the breakdown of our overnight stay. The standard occupancy is only for 4 and there's a charge of P750 per excess person, but we weren't charged anymore for the kids.

The room fit all of us comfortably since it had 2 double beds and a daybed with a pull-out. There was a mini-fridge and cable TV. The room also had a balcony and an ensuite bathroom, meaning the shower, sink, and toilet were compartmentalized allowing 3 persons simultaneous use. The bathroom wasn't that new, but it was clean. A water dispenser was just outside our room too. 

our room is the one on the lower left

I just realized when we were about to go home that I wasn't able to take photos of our room. So I just got this photo from their website since our room looked exactly like this. Only difference is they now have a plasma TV. I really liked the overhead fan too since when we were there, it wasn't as hot as it is now. So we actually turned off the aircon during the late afternoon and early morning and it was so breezy.

photo from their website

outdoor shower

The resort is huge with lots of activities you can do, like wall climbing, speed boat, banana boat, glass bottom boat, kayaking, and snorkeling. Something to take note of though is that there's very weak to no cellphone signal in the whole place though, and we could only access wi-fi in the dining pavilion.

rental area

volleyball area

The 2 pools areas are located on opposite ends of the resort, so if you don't feel like walking, you can always hop on board these golf carts which can bring you wherever you like (we used these to go to the dining hall from our rooms too ;p).

They have 2 huge infinity pools, which we luckily had to ourselves the whole time we were there. There weren't that much guests since we went on a weekday. It really felt like we were in our own private resort. The pools look very new and are super clean too!

pool #1, which is located beside the main dining area

jacuzzi area on the right side

Mowdels! My swimsuit & cover-up are both from SM

pool #2, with the wall-climbing area on the right

super nice and relaxing!

There are lots of nice cabanas where you can just lounge and chill in front of the beach. But this isn't the place to have any wild, all-nighter inumans since they discourage loud noises from 10pm - 8am.

The beach is clean, but the sand is a bit rocky. The waters are clear though, but we didn't swim (only hubby) since it was cold hehe. We just spent most of the time in the swimming pools.

the sand

the sea

pretty shells which Miley collected

This is the main dining hall where all the buffet meals are served. There's a big aquarium in the back which the kids loved looking at. We could also only get wi-fi reception in this area.

They also have more dining areas which they use when the resort is really full, like on weekends and holidays.

For an overnight stay, you get lunch, merienda, dinner, and breakfast the next day. I personally found the food to be really yummy, with lots of choices. We were so full after every meal!

the food during our stay

breakfast spread

There was also a super cute playground which the kids loved playing at. :)

We really had a great time here and for sure this won't be our last! :)

PALM BEACH RESORT
Brgy. Hugom, San Juan, Batangas, Philippines
Website: http://lafrondosa.com