One Fan Day

One fine Saturday afternoon, my family and I went to see our friends who live in the Marina area. But instead of driving all the way there, we decided to leave the car at the Mall of the Emirates and take the Metro so we don’t have to worry about car parking. It was a good plan because our friend’s building is just right next to the JLT station.

Anyway, halfway through our drive, I read a retweet by my friend, K about Martha Stewart’s schedule that afternoon where she will sign magazines at Tavola in Mall of the Emirates. Now I knew the day before that Martha's in town, but I didn’t know about the signing. I tweeted her that morning and didn't read that tweet in my timeline. Well, as expected, I jumped at the opportunity and begged the dear husband to let me queue for an autograph. Thankfully, he obliged (as if he had any choice – haha!)

dream come true

The signing was slated from 2:00 – 3:00 pm, and I got there just in time. The line was from outside the store already, and you could tell that the people who came are real fans who took time to go and see her. Well, most are Moms who are 30 and above...hehe! I queued for about a little over an hour and I was so nervous that i might not make the cut since it was already a few minutes past 3:00pm. Good thing I made it, although unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take a picture with her because the organizers were in a rush by the time I got to the desk. Besides, since I wasn’t prepared, I didn’t have my camera with me so I just used my trusty Blackberry.  I didn’t have any of her magazines either so I just bought from the Filipina SAs who are going around selling the magazines. It was a toss between an Arabic Martha Stewart Everyday Food & MS Weddings Middle East, so of course, I grabbed the English magazine.

Martha Stewart signed this for me:

signing K's mag

my signed mag -- yihee!!

And I got one for my informant, too, who is a much bigger fan (hello, K!):

happiness! 

She’s very nice and super friendly to everyone. She also took time to answer questions thrown in by her fans. I didn’t ask her any question when it was my turn, but this is how our conversation went (as far as I recall):

Me: omg, I can’t believe you’re here! I just tweeted you about the weather this morning & welcomed you to Dubai, and now you’re here in front of me! *super giddy, excited voice*
MS: yeah, here I am! *cheerful voice with a sunny smile*
Me: pardon the heat of our summer.
MS: oh yeah, it is hot here! whew!
Me: thank you so much! enjoy your stay in Dubai!
MS: thank you! and thank you, too for coming!

So yeah, that was my short & sweet fan-to-idol encounter with a Hollywood celebrity & Emmy-nominated Best Host. I’m sure you can tell I'm still that thrilled about the whole thing :)

On His Own

Two weeks ago, we decided to let the little one take another step further towards independence.  After laboring for half a day, I was able to finally fix Dade’s room and allow him to sleep on his own big boy’s bed. It was difficult at first to accept the fact that my baby has now grown into a young boy, but I decided it’s time for him to learn to stay in his own room and sleep on his own bed.  I know that if i prolong his co-sleeping routine with us, it’ll get more difficult to convince him to sleep in his own room later on especially once he learns how to vocally express his protest against it.  So yeah, it’s either now or never.

We did psych ourselves to do this and prepared ourselves mentally, physically and emotionally for this big change.  For 22 months, Dade co-slept with us so it’s also not easy for us to just move him to his own room.  No more baby’s breath, no more kicks and smacks from our little monster in the middle of the night and sadly, no more instant sweet kisses in the morning to wake us up.  Haay!!
A few days prior, we bought a couple of beddings set for the wee one at Ikea.  We chose the colorful patterns with hues similar to the colors seen in Dade’s room so he would be enticed to hop on his bed. So far, that has worked because whenever he feels like checking out the pages of his books, he would sit on his bed on his own without any prodding from us. He also enjoys playing in his own room now so our living room looks a lot less like a daycare center and more of a proper area for us to lounge and relax.




Meanwhile, apart from fixing the bed, we also arranged Dade’s “command center” – a cabinet with a detachable changing table that he’s been using since he was born. Hubby finally took off the changing table, too, so now, all of Dade’s toiletries and other essentials are placed in the cabinet for ease of use.

Here is a pic of Dade’s sleeping area with his favorite plush toy pals.

And here he is in his jammies like an angel fast asleep.

Yeah, big boy indeed. Oh gosh, where did my baby go?

Reminiscing This Year's Easter Egg Hunt

(So sorry for this super late post, but I just had to share this before I accidentally hit the delete button on my drafts folder)

Our Easter egg hunt with the kids was just so much fun I must share it with you.  After all, we only spent like a week to prepare for this activity for the kids, and we believe we pretty much did a good job :)

I think we had about 10 kiddos all in all during that afternoon. They were all game to play so that was easy. The kids hunted the eggs which were scattered and safely hidden within a 15-meter radius from our gazebo. In a matter of minutes, all the eggs were found. Each kid received a prize, of course, courtesy of Aunt H.

little Guianna picking up the egg she found

Karl found one, too!

Dade hesitant to let go of the egg

Get-togethers at the park are always pot-luck fun.  Here are some of the treats the kids, as well as the grown-ups, had:

luscious cupcakes c/o the Ranolas

my corned tuna ala king

delicioso macaroons from the Velosos

hotdogs & pineapple

And here are some of the give-ways the kiddos took home after a tiring afternoon at the park:

egg nuts & bunny mallows

m&m's :)

easter sugar cookies by the hubby

bunny chocolates

We would happily take on any excuse to go to the park and just relax.  And going for an egg hunt just doubled the fun!  For next year, we'll make sure it will be another happy one for the kids.

The Master Baker

Hubby got his baking mojo back, and I couldn't be happier!  Since our new cooker with oven was installed over a week ago, he has baked 3 times already (not minding the sleepless nights). One batch was for my colleague who was leaving the company, while two batches were paid orders – 384 pieces of butterscotch bites given as tokens for a kiddie birthday party by a good friend and 100 pieces of chocolate crinkles for home consumption by a local colleague. Wow, right? The husband is saving up for a Mac Mini so his earnings went straight to his technological update fund. He’s super happy! :)

Everyone tells me how extremely lucky I am to have someone who can bake for me at a drop of a hat. Well, not really. Sometimes I have to bribe him you know, haha! I'm super proud of him! As a supportive wife, I do my best to show my appreciation and I try as much as I can to purchase the essential baking tools and equipment he needs.  Like for instance, a few birthdays ago, I got him this mean machine:

Kitchenaid Artisan in matte grey hue.  Looks like concrete & oh, so masculine!

And then just last year, I got him this weighing scale:

the better to weigh you, my dear!

Plus this rolling pin:

the better to whack you, er, roll the dough with my dear!

And this baking mat:

silicone mat

Then last month, this spanking new cooker with convection oven:

an Ariston cooker -- dream come true!

If there’s one thing that I contribute to the baking bit he does is that I do the packing! Yep, I am the master motherpacker in our household! :D I wrap, I jar, I box!  The good side of it is that I get to choose how his baked goodies are handed over and presented to his customers. with our collection of boxes, cellophanes and goody bags I hoarded from Chocolate Lover in Manila, not to mention my growing collection of ribbons from satin to the grosgrain kind, he never fails to make a good impression on his goods. So yeah, I do support him in every way I know possible.

Oh, and did I tell you I'm his guinea pig, too? Yup, motherpacker na, taste-tester pa!

Queen For A Day

To all the Moms out there, here’s wishing you a happy mother’s day! I hope you get to be treated like a queen even for a day. We all deserve it, you know. Being a mother is the toughest job there is, bar none!

For my second Mom’s day, we’ll hie off to the newly opened Hotel JAL and will have a 4-course dinner at Indo Thai to indulge on some Asian cuisine. That is after we hear mass at St. Mary’s Church. Can’t wait already! :)

Before I finish this post, let me share with you what I have stumbled upon from the net. Witty but heartfelt description of what being a mother is. I got teary-eyed reading this.

POSITION: Mother, Mom, Mama

JOB DESCRIPTION: Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work, in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required -- including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties are also required; frequently, on very short notice.

RESPONSIBILITIES: The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite your tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat -- in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include, floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION: Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: None required, unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION: Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18, because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it, and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS: No health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered -- however, this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life, if you play your cards right.

Have a great day, Mommies! xoxo