Spa & Dinner Date

Last week, I had a much-awaited spa date with my girlfriends J & B. Our common available day was a Monday and we drove to Dubai Media City where Chill Spa is. We booked for a 60-minute Aromatherapy massage and 30-minute full body scrub. It.was.heaven!

all ready to be pampered

The best thing about this deal is that we got it for only AED 160! Woot woot! Thanks to Cobone, we were able to grab these packages at less than half their original price.

We had dinner afterwards at The Noodle House in DIFC where we also got 30% discount thanks to my company ID's perk. So you see, our night was sooo sulit – relaxing and tummy filling with big savings. Now who wouldn’t want that?

I really had fun with my girls! I hope we could do this more often. It was a welcome respite from all the work, wifey and mommyhood duties that I juggle everyday.

Not So Baby Anymore

I don’t know if it’s just me or Dadelicious has just gotten way bigger over the past couple of months. He now looks like a little boy and is far from the look of a baby who just went past the line between babyhood to toddlerhood. These are recent pictures from my phone that were randomly taken in the past month.

I wanted to give in to my Strawberry Banana smoothie craving so off we went to Caribou at 9:00 pm that night. He ended up running around the coffee shop saying hello to the other customers. He even went table hopping to give a friendly wave. Future politician? I hope not.

sharing my drink

He now prefers to brush his teeth by himself. we compromise by letting him do the brushing for the first 2 minutes, and then I take over. He knows the night time drill by heart – wash up, nappy change, apply lotion on his skin and put on a fresh pair of jammies.  Afterwards, he will then point to his toothbrush and toothpaste to clean his pearly whites. 

jammies from Aunt S

I am so glad my son turned out to be a fruit monster.  He loves all kinds of fruit! But his favorites are from the berry family – blueberry, blackberry, strawberry and raspberry. He could finish a pack of in just one sitting. Susmio, expensive ang taste, literally!

berry good, Dade!

My son loves my his iPad to bits! His day is never complete without playing with it so you can just imagine how sad he was when one day, after he drained the battery dry, we couldn’t recharge the iPad. He made do playing with its box, swiping his tiny fingers through the screen and poking at the applications while waiting for something to happen. It was heartbreaking! Thankfully, when I brought it to the every trusty iStyle service centre, they were able to recharge it again. Apparently, it was completely drained so it took a while for the charging to commence. Whew!

little techie

I have been saving some books for Dade to touch when he’s a bit older. After he ruined his “A Very Hungry Caterpillar” book, I was careful to give him books, especially the thin-paged ones. The other night, I read “The Grufallo” to him. Before switching the lamps off, I made him flip through the pages and look at the pictures.

The Gruffalo

We got these el cheapo shades from Ladybird when he was only about 6 months old. Now he’s strutting it like it’s an Oakley pair, and we love it! Too bad he’s missing that nose bridge for that pogi effect, lol! 

little hearthrob!

And just taken a week ago, here he is wearing his cute hat. Binata na! (he's now a teenager!)

Oh, where did time go?

Of Flea Markets and Bubble Baths

Last Friday, I tagged along with friends G and H when they leased a stall at the Dubai Flea Market in Uptown Mirdif. They sold some used stuff such as clothes, shoes, belts, hats, toys and other baby items. I, on the other hand, sold some chocolate crinkles and butterscotch bites baked by my hubby. I also showcased a couple of nappy cakes and gave out cards for those who wish to order. Flea market is not exactly the place to go to when selling this kind of stuff because the buyers would think the price is too steep (and they did!). I wasn’t actually expecting to sell anything – I just joined ‘cos it seems fun and I had nothing better to do on a Friday afternoon.

market sellers

Meanwhile, hubby’s butterscotch bites were a hit!  They were a crowd pleaser, just as I expected. A few boxes were left of the chocolate crinkles, which didn’t go to waste since the little boy and the big boy ate them for snacks yesterday.

I was pooped after the flea market stint because it was a bit hot that afternoon. I think the lovely winter weather has stretched itself too much that it could no longer hit end of March at least. Just thinking about the summer weather here is already giving me the shudders!

Saturday was spent with my two boys at home. We had a grand time bumming around doing absolutely nothing. Oh, oh, it was pure bliss, haha! Since we had a lot of time in our hands to just dilly dally, I gave the wee one his very first bubble bath. I made use of his tub which thank goodness still fits him. For the bath, I used the California Baby Bubble Bath in lavender for that relaxing feel. I also gave him 2 rubber duckies for him to play with.

He was disoriented when I soaked him in the tub filled with bubbles. It was so strange to him he gave me that panic-stricken look. He warmed up to it shortly after we started blowing bubbles at him and taking a few snapshots.

To cap off our lazy day, we went to the nearest Caribou Coffee shop where hubby and I got our strawberry banana smoothie fix that I was actually craving for days now.

The New Ride

After careful thought and consideration, the husband and I decided to finally put the Quinny Buzz stroller to rest for the next baby (although I am not preggy yet, just to set the record straight) and get a new one for our little boy’s current use. We’re concerned he might end up wrecking the stroller because he is so active now, even when seated. Since we invested on a pricey but super stable stroller, which thank goodness came as a gift, we thought it’s best to maximize its use 'til the next baby.

So last weekend, off we went to Babyshop to get him a new Quinny Zapp during their weekend bonanza sale. We were extremely happy with this purchase because we were able to use our Mashreqbank WOW points and we only threw in a couple hundred dirhams to buy the item. Quite a steal, right?

One thing we liked about the Zapp is that it is sturdier compared to most umbrollers. We were contemplating on getting a Maclaren Quest or Triumph because it is much more compact but considering Dade’s fussiness in the stroller, we decided against it. Hubby was very pleased at how the Zapp folds compared to the Buzz. We now have more than enough space at the back of our car. whoppee!! traveling will be a lot more easier for us. It’s also quite easy to maneuver – I can even use just one hand. The new Zapp models no longer have the carry bag, but it does have the shopping basket now, which is more important for us.

pensive look

Above is a recent snapshot of the little boy in his new rebel red ride taken last Saturday in front of Ikea. We were then waiting for his Ninang B who promised to get him a table and chair set as a super advanced birthday pressie. He looks impatient here, I know but as soon as Ninang B arrived, he was back to his sweet, pa-cute self.

Liven Up The Candle

Apart from my interest in making diaper cakes, I also decorate candles for occasions such as Christening. I like turning ordinary looking candles into the special looking ones because for me, they are a significant symbol of commitment by the godparents to become second parents to their godchild.

The first one I made was for my goddaughter, Zoei Armay. Her motif was pink & brown.  I also decorated the basket, which I bought from a flower shop in Karama.

lovely pink and brown combo

The next batch of candles I decorated was for Hannah. Her motif was the popular pink & brown combination, as well. They also incorporated polka dots in the invite so I decided to get some satin flowers with white polka dot prints. Luckily, I got them at a steal price from my suki in Satwa.

another pink & brown set

The latest batch of candles I spruced up was for my goddaughter, Amara Andrea. I was challenged by the motif of fuchsia pink and orange, but I'm so glad i was able to scour some nice materials. Glad the candles looked elegant-looking afterwards.

bright, summery colors

Funny that even my friend from the US also inquired about shipping the candles from here all the way to Seattle.  I am so flattered!