Party with Disney Cars

Six months before Jaden's birthday, I have already decided that we will be having a Disney Cars party. He loves cars (addicted to anything with wheels actually) and he adores Lightning McQueen. I wanted to try some DIY so I searched online and I found some really nice printables, I just added Jaden's name or edited some.

Invitations:
For the invitation I just used the keywords "Free Disney Cars Invitation Template" and I found some really good ones. These are my Top 2 but I decided to choose the first one which includes Tow Mater.

LINK HERE

LINK HERE

I asked my younger brother to add Jaden's photo because I have tried and tried but it doesn't look as flawless as it should be. And here is what he sent back to me:

His birth date is the 23rd but I moved the date to a Saturday.

I bought photopapers and printed this on my own. Voila! I saved a lot of money.

Giveaways:
I don't plan on spending much because we are having a Church Wedding end of the year so I tried to find something affordable for the 25 kids who are coming.

Disney Cars tumblers

I ordered this cute tumblers online and I filled them with candies. See those loot bags at the back? The tumblers are appropriate for toddlers only so I had to buy those loot bags and filled them with pencils, coloring books, toy cars and candies for the ones who are big enough for the tumbler.

The "Thank You for Coming" tags I put on the tumblers I also found online.

LINK HERE

Decorations:
It is a simple party after all so I asked my brother (again) to make a layout for a tarpaulin that I can hang  and show off at the party. LOL I chose my favorite photo of Jaden since he turned one and this is what he sent me.

He's a very good artist right? I mean my brother :)

I bought some Disney Cars Mylar balloons as decoration and the Happy Birthday Banner above is from  Toy Kingdom.

I also found a Disney Cars Sticker printables which I used to seal my invitations. I printed them on a sticker paper and it was very cheap! Get the LINK HERE!

P.S. I used the same printables as cupcake toppers. I printed those in photo papers instead. Unique than the usual round toppers. :)

Cute, right?

Need more ideas? Visit links below.

LINK 1
LINK 2

A First Time for Everything

October started out fine and happy and I am glad to say it will end fine and happy as well. October 5, we went to my niece's Christening and 1st birthday party. I am one of the godmothers and Jaden had a blast. It was hosted by McDonald's though the venue is in a resort called "Villa Rosa by the Beach". It was not a pool party since the only pool they have is for adults and the weather was so hot that I don't want to risk Jaden getting sun burned. And of course, I took a lot of photos. Here are some :)

Miraculous Medal Parish after the Christening Ceremony

He was having so much fun!

The only pool they have on the background

He won't take a selfie with me. Ha ha!

Because he wants a SOLO :)

The celebrant (Gian Keilah), her mom (my first cousin) and dad.

One of Ronald's friend, BIRDIE, came to entertain (scare some?) the kids

Of course, a family portrait!

Jaden wouldn't stop talking about BIRDIE for days that I put up a sticker of Ronald McDonald's gang on his dresser. He was so happy about it.

Three days later he woke up with a bad cough, no runny nose. He was coughing up some phlegm and after his night bath, I tried taking his temperature and it was 37.4C which is a warning sign that he might have a hotter temperature later in the evening and I was not wrong. His temp was 39.5C by midnight and he was constantly having fits of very, very dry itchy cough. I tried giving him paracetamol but he was puking everything minutes after taking it, including his dinner.

You have to know that in his almost 2 years of existence, I have never before encountered something worse than a flu. So I am very worried and texted his pedia very early the next morning to set up an appointment. I was expecting she'll give us some prescription medicine and we'll be on our way to the mall to enjoy the rest of the day but I was shocked when she advised me to take Jaden to the hospital!

And because she knows things better than me, I agreed though I have a choice not to take him to the hospital. The catch? I have to sign an AMA, against medical advise. If something happens to my child because I did not follow our doctor's order, she has nothing to do with it. I wasn't about to disobey a doctor's order, especially when it is my son's pedia. I know what he has needs to be treated by professionals since his body is not taking in any solid food or medicine anymore and looking back, I am so glad I did.

We took him to Iloilo Doctor's Hospital and we waited in the Emergency Room since the pedia ward and every private room were full. We waited there for 7 hours. They injected him his IV and he was given antibiotics and paracetamol for the fever, all injectables so he wouldn't puke. He doesn't want to be put down and he was crying whenever he sees someone wearing all white. He keeps asking me to nurse him (He is breastfed by the way) and he would sleep that way until someone injects him with something again then he would cry because we have no proper sleep the night before.

It went on until the next day, I can't even go to the toilet!!! Whenever I do he would cry so hard that I have to do everything very fast. His dad was at work and decided to go home the next day. I was so thankful when he arrived because he was the only person Jaden wants to be with aside from me. He still cries when I leave for a minute but his dad knows how to distract him. My body was aching all over from all the carrying and sleeping positions we had.

Our pedia came and told us his X-ray shows consistency with pneumonia so we were given oral antibiotics for him to take. The first three tries we have to hold him down and force him to drink it because he won't open his mouth. He doesn't take medications very often aside from his everyday vitamins so I know how hard it would be given that the medicine has a very bitter after taste. It took us two days to make him finally swallow it and make it stay in his tummy.

After taking the oral medications he felt and slept better. We transferred to a private room when the staff informed us they have some vacant room. I was so glad because Jaden (and me as well) really need some more space and a quite room to rest. We stayed at the hospital for 5 days and I am so glad it was over. But of course I have to take some picture of our stay there. Watch out for some cuteness!

At the pediaward

Red due to high fever but still cute!

His name tag

Selfie with Daddy

And of course with Mommy straight from the shower

He has a love-hate relationship with the nebulizer

Took a picture while waiting for his pedia to discharge us

"Selfie". He took this one, LOL

 As soon as we went home, it was back to planning for his 2nd birthday party which I am going to post later! Thank God my healthy baby is back!

Techie Mom + Dropbox

If you are like me who constantly transfer data, images, videos or music from your hand phone to your laptop/computer, then Dropbox is the answer. 

Photo Credits: digitaltutorials.jrn.clombia.edu

Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily. Never email yourself a file again!**

I downloaded the software on my laptop a week ago and I am loving it. I don't need my USB cable to connect my phone to my laptop. I know you might be thinking that I can connect through Bluetooth or WI-FI but have you tried sending bigger files? It takes precious TIME!

Now, everytime I want to send something to my phone, I just drag a file to my Dropbox folder. It automatically uploads it online and my phone (which has internet connection of course) downloads the file. Then I have a copy on my laptop, online and on my hand phone. How cool is that? And I did just one thing, DRAG.

Dropbox basically gives its free user 2GB of space. You can earn more space by completing some task like taking the Dropbox tour (which you need to understand how it works), install Dropbox on your mobile phone, invite friends to join and more! I now have 2.25 GB of space.

Dropbox makes sharing easy. Invite your friends, family, and teammates to any folder in your Dropbox, and it'll be as if you saved that folder straight to their computer.
You can send people links to specific files, photos, and folders in your Dropbox, too. This makes Dropbox perfect for team projects, sharing party photos with friends, or recording your band's debut album.**

**www.dropbox.com

Discovering New Things

Jaden and I started our second batch of Parent-Child Program two Saturdays ago. The first one was a very good experience and he bonded well with his "playmates".

His favorite activity

Above photos are taken by a friend, Tita Megs

The photo was taken by the mother of the little lady wearing a blue shawl :) They were role playing and they have this colorful shawl to distinguish their character.

When we got back for the second batch, he was very excited and so was I. I was excited for him to meet new faces but I think I was expecting some reaction from him as well. There are four of them in the first batch and he was the only boy. He was so used to being with the other three that he enjoys being with them. When we got back two Saturdays ago, of the three girls, only one was left. Now we have four new faces. Usually, whenever we arrive at school, he would go on his own and play with the sandbox immediately. After seeing the new faces, he stopped and he just stands there observing everyone else. I have to set the mood for him. I pointed out his new playmates and gave him his shovel and bucket.

I guess he was adapting to the new friends. Now there are three boys and three girls in his class. After two Saturdays, he is starting to love his new playmates and get used to the atmosphere as well of having two more running around, sharing the toys and everything.

Photo credits to Tita Jorv, the founder of the school. You can visit her blog HERE :)

I guess I could say this is a welcome change. I want him to experience new things and be able to adapt to different kind of people. He may not be able to adapt immediately at least I know that he knows when changes occur. I think it is a good thing to make them experience change and stir them away from their routines once and a while, they discover new things and you learn new things from them as well :)

I am Back!

After being inactive for 2 months, I have found the time to blog again. I just can't stop writing things and sharing to people my wonderful child and my family. I am quite busy these days because I am a full-time mom. I am doing an online job as well which is quite hard but it gets a little bit easier when you get used to it.

Jaden's 2nd birthday will be this coming October and I am planning a children's party for him. And because he is obsessed with cars, we will be having a Disney Cars theme party with his favorite characters.

I am searching online for some DIY and party ideas and I found some great ones. I will share them too soon.

I found some really good blogs worth following and I will share some of them here. I haven't read a new book for a while because I am re-reading Games of Thrones (I know, I know, what am I thinking?) and I am on the second book now A Clash Of Kings.

I will publish another post after I have put the little one to sleep and put away all his toys. A mom's life, tiring yet satisfying :)

Worth it all.

The Rain is Back!

You know what's good with the rain? The world feels like a cooler place to live in with more mosquitoes and a not so nice humid smell. The best thing about June is that the rainy season is starting and the 3-month long agony of the summer heat, which is way hotter than usual, is over!!!

My little one loves the rain, maybe because it's just another form of water. He loves taking a shower (with hot water) and he loves seeing little puddles on the street. I know all children do but I love how fascinated he is! He is currently obsessed with water animals.

Image Source: www.bubblews.com

Every night he would ask me to tell him a story about an octopus and some of his water animal friends. I would wiggle my fingers and he will giggle like crazy.

Image Source: www.eventbrite.com

Crabs are on the top of the list too! The other day we had steamed crabs for lunch and it was his first time to see a real one. He enjoyed eating while holding one of the big pincers the whole time.

Image Source: www.gambassa.com

The little one is really amused with the starfish. He knows the star-shape and everytime he would see a star he would say starfish right away. Oh oh.

Going back to the mosquito, ha-ha! I know you think I'm too petty but I hate them so much. I always get mosquito bites whenever it's raining, they say it's because I have a sweet blood, unfortunately my son does too. I really don't mind the bites, it's Dengue I don't want. We can't be too careful so I always make sure he has a mosquito patch whenever he is out of the room.

Cold and wet days are here! Hooray!

Charice Pempengco is Out!

I don't always have the time to watch showbiz news but I make sure I check on YouTube for big breaking news. Charice Pempengco is one of those stars I look up to when it comes to singing because my expertise in that field is zero - NADA! I love her ever since and not just because I'm a fellow Filipino but because she really is doing an amazing job. When Ellen DeGeneres featured her in her talk show, the whole Filipino community rejoiced with her and the world was taken by her voice. After a short period of time, her career takes off and she is known all over the world. Nothing makes me prouder than seeing someone who deserves all she is getting and so much more.

With success comes a lot of intrigue and I'm proud of how she handled herself. After having her haircut, hair color, tattoos and change of style in clothing everyone else had their doubt about her sexuality. I know she will say something one of these days and now I was able to watch her tell it all. Yes, Charice admitted that she is a lesbian. I am almost crying while watching and I love how smart and humble she is. Proud of you, man!

I am and will always be a good friend to people who belong in the third sex. I have a lot of friends who are very confident in admitting what they love to be and I support everyone of them, I guess they made life easier. They showed me how they can be what they want, stand by their decisions and be happy with it.

P.S. I'm sorry if the interview is in Tagalog. I will try to do a subtitle if anyone wants any, just comment below. I'm quite busy at the moment but I will make time :)

Be you, be free and be happy!

Jaden and Play School

I enrolled Jaden today! I am one very excited mom. I wanted to see how he will be when he's around children which he will constantly see and I'm excited to see him do different things! First let me tell you about this great school we have found. I found out about Maya Playgarden and Daycare Center from a friend, I checked their Facebook page and I love the fact that they have a parent-child program. They follow the Waldorf system of education which promotes a home-like environment for children and the use of organic materials.

The school is 45 minutes away but I did not mind the travel since Jaden's schedule is only every Saturday morning. I really wanted him to be exposed to other kids and to be able to experience lots of things. Maya has a wide range of activities for kids and the school location is very perfect! Grasses and trees all around and no cars or traffic nearby.

We went there today with my husband's cousin's daughter, Jaden's second cousin Izza:)

All of the toys and furnitures are made of wood. Jaden was so fascinated with the wooden toys. Let's admit it, we mostly buy plastic toys from the mall, I'm glad he will get to see the beauty of hand made products.

It was his first time in a see-saw :)

He doesn't want to try the swing.

We had lunch after and here they are enjoying the moment!

We will start school on the 22nd of June and I'm excited. We still have to buy some things like boots for their nature walk, aprons for cooking and some little trinkets. I hope he loves school and his new friends :)

Here For You...Forever

I have always believed in the saying “Our children need our presence more than our presents” though both would be great J I grew up without my mom because she has to leave the country for work. My dad was there but never really there, you know what I mean. Life was hard growing up without the only person you know you could turn to but because of my youth then, I did not mind being with my Grandma and Grandpa. I remember having school programs and I would see other girls’ moms doing their make-up and fixing their costumes. My grandma did all of that for me, something I am grateful up to now, but as a child I can’t help but wish my mom could do those things for me. Nothing beats a mom’s care and I am one lonely child craving for it. Those things helped me realize that if ever I am going to be a mom someday, I would never leave my child unless I really have to.

After knowing I am pregnant, I promised myself that I would be there for my little one no matter what. I will make it a point to put him first before anything else, even my own self. You never really know what love is until you hold your future in your own arms, heard his laughter, felt his fears and anxiety. Motherhood becomes me. I remember being so excited for my ultrasound so I could see his gender, but I know in my heart I was carrying a little prince. I was very happy when I found out it was a boy, I have always wanted a baby boy. I could see him holding my hands when I get old and frail enough to walk alone.

My favorite days are when my husband is at home. We could spend the day at home or we could plan to go out and have a little fun. Those days would be the most tiring yet fulfilling. Nothing can compare to the joy my son feels whenever he rides a car, take a turn at the carousel, play an hour at the playhouse. He loves running around the mall while Daddy and I are running after him, mostly taking pictures.

Last Saturday we went out and Jaden had so much fun!

Annoying "selfies"

He's very talkative now!

I don't want a picture!

At Dave's Playhouse

He loves to climb

Posing for Daddy

Time is not something you can buy to be back at a certain moment. They are only young once, spend more time with them. Time flies, your little one is going to spread his wings someday and he might not need you as much by then :)