Mixed Emotions

This morning, my two little monkeys left for Los Angeles (California) with their dad for a short two-week vacation to visit their dad's relatives. I was telling a few friends that I've been having separation anxiety over this. My boys have never left my side for this long since both of them were born. So last night while I was putting them to bed, I held both of them tight and had my mommy moment- a pang of sadness just hit me and I cried. Ugh.


I had to remind myself that this is going to be good for me and a chance to take a break being a mother and full-time caregiver to my boys. I'm sad that I won't see them for two weeks, but I just had to think that they will be alright and they will have fun where they're going.

As for me, I am taking a real break. This coming Tuesday, my wonderful and sweet boyfriend Dan is taking me and his twelve year old son Jordan to New York City for a few days. We're staying in a nice hotel within walking distance to Manhattan and all that is NYC. We'll roam around, do some shopping, maybe even go see some fun broadway show or something. The week after that, if everything fans out well as far as the scheduling and travel expenses- me and Dan will go to Colorado to experience the Western-themed four-day Epic Summer adventure getaway that I won from Mom Central. Hurray for me on that! ;)

So yeah, I guess I will be very busy the whole two weeks my adorable monkeys are gone. But right now, I admit I do have mixed emotions- a little sadness about not seeing them while they're gone, excitement over the trips to NYC and Colorado, and the feeling of relief for having two weeks of "me time".

Anyway, I am going to go get my nails done today and go check out the heart pendant jewelry I've been eyeing for some time- the start of my sweet two weeks of "ME time" ahead. I just have to look at it this way and hope that I will be happier than sad. :)

How's the Weather?

I can't wait until the weather gets warmer again. I am beginning to feel really tired of wearing thick, heavy winter clothes.

Yesterday was actually nicer here in Virginia. It was like in the high 60's and we didn't have to wear our thick coats. The boys had a lot of fun running around the community park. It's such a blessing to be able to go out, breathing fresh air, enjoying the cool weather and just being outdoors and seeing the sights.

It would be really nice to go to some nice vacation spot and rent a private place in the Outer Banks (sigh). But of course, we had to look at the family budget, although Joe is thinking of taking the boys again to the Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg next weekend. We enjoyed it there the last time so it wouldn't be a bad idea. Certainly much better than being cooped up in the house.

Great Wolf Lodge

The weekend after Christmas Day was great. Joe and I took our boys for a little weekend getaway to Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, Virginia. It's a very popular water park hotel in this part of town so we were quite excited to check it out for the first time. I was actually a little skeptic when Joe told me weeks before that we're taking the kids to this water park/lodge. First off, the boys just got off the flu and are still recovering from it. So I was very worried they might get sick again. But Joe reassured me that the big pool at the water park is indoor and the water will be warm and heated.



So anyway, once we got there it was actually fun. We all had fun, especially the boys. Our expensive room ($400 a night) was very clean, spacious, and very modern. We had a king-size, luxuriously-made bed and the bath tub and shower is huge. I even noticed the sinks and shower had those fancy-looking Kohler faucets. I loved staying in our room! It felt like we really got the value of our money.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to take pictures while we were at the big, fun water park. But before we left Sunday afternoon, we took some inside the hotel's lobby. We had such a great time at the Great Wolf Lodge that we're going to come back there in the summer.

Happy New Year 2009

Hello friends,

It's hard to believe the year is almost over. The new year is coming and before you know it, it's going to be over again. My! Don't we all get old fast!! :D

Anyway, I know I haven't posted on my blogs in a while. So much changes going on in my household lately. The past few weeks was all about new transitions and family events: me getting a new full-time job out of home, getting our boys in daycare, went on a weekend vacation, then the holidays... etcetera, etcetera.

To start off the New Year right, first, I want to wish everyone a great and prosperous New Year 2009! I have so much excitement to share with you all. In the meantime, let's all meet the New Year with a happy heart, bright outlook, and the peaceful knowledge that there is a Higher Being above that looks over each one of us.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!!!

Wordless Wednesday: Balingoan Port

*Balingoan Port is in Misamis Oriental, Philippines. Photos taken on September 2008 during one of my trips there...

For more Wordless Wednesdays, click HERE.

Spur-of-the-Moment Weekend Trip

I know most people get psyched when Fridays come, especially for people who hold the usual M-F, 8-5 jobs.

Well, not so much for a full time stay-at-home mommy like me. Fridays are just like any other day- the usual chores, etcetera, etcetera. But the nice thing about Fridays is that like most people, I look forward to the weekend when I can do fun things to do with my family.

Speaking of fun things, last weekend we went for a drive down Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The drive was absolutely beautiful with all the trees in their bright Fall splendour. I love this time of the year here in the East Coast when the leaves turn into bright, beautiful hues of red, orange, purple, and yellow and the weather is cool on my skin.

Here are a few pics I took from our weekend trip. My sweet, new Sony Cybershot digital camera died on me just when we arrived in Pittsburgh so I was only able to take a few pics. Darn. I didn't even get to carry along the camera charger with me.

Anyways, it was one of those spur-of-the-moment, unplanned weekend trip and we had fun! :D

On the Beach With My Cuties

These pics were taken a few weeks ago, while visiting my dad's hometown Magsaysay, Misamis Oriental. We went to the beach just to spend the afternoon with siblings and relatives. FUN! :)

Wordless Wednesday: Tokyo, Japan

Taken on a recent stop over in Tokyo, Japan (July 4th, 2008) on our way home to the Philippines.


I would have loved a purse from this Japanese purse designer store, except I didn't have the budget for it. I ended up buying Japanese sweets instead. :)

Great Help on the Plane

With two little ones on a long plane trip, you have to do a lot of research on how you can make the trip a little easier on yourself and your kids.

First, I am very grateful for my friend Loyna's mom (Nanay Gloria)- she was a great help to me with my kids. Also, I was lucky to have a DVD player to play my toddler's favorite Disney and Baby Einstein DVD's- was a great entertainment! I also thought the doodle pads and coloring books were great toys to have, as well as little trains and cars.

My new Peg Perego Tender CSR stroller was an absolutely helpful baby gear to have- I don't know what I would have done without it! Anyway, watch out for my review on this great double stroller courtesy of Peg Perego. :)

I'm Back!

Hey there blogging friends,

My little boys and I arrived in the Philippines Friday night. It was a very challenging , long plane trip but everything went fine. My boys and I are enjoying the time with siblings and relatives. I took pictures already but Haven't loaded them on my computer yet so I should be able to post them in a few days.

Hope everyone is doing great! :)

6 Days More To Go!

Lately, I've been finding myself humming the classic "Leaving on a Jet Plane" song, LOL. Sheer excitement.

Yes, July 3rd Wednesday is a big day for us. It's not only Gabriel's 3rd birthday, it's also the day we leave for the big trip to the Philippines. All the bags are packed, except for the carryon. I still have to sort out the really needed things to pack because I'm only allowed up to 40 lbs for it. With two little toddlers in tow, chances are- it will just be bottles, snacks, spare clothes, and toys for the two of them. Not much room for mommy's stuff anymore. But it's okay. As long as they got what they need, I am just happy. :)

Our Trip To West Palm Beach, Florida

So Saturday afternoon, my hubby, two little boys and I headed for West Palm Beach, Florida on a rented big van. The whole trip was enjoyable, although my boys had their 'cranky' moments. Overall though they were both good travellers.

So anyway, the funeral service for my father in-law wasn't until Tuesday morning, so when we arrived Sunday night we planned the next day Monday to be just an easy day- fit for sightseeing and 'hanging out have a little picnic at the beach' day, and visiting old familiar places. West Palm Beach is only about 45 minutes drive to where we used to live in Pembroke Pines/Miramar area before we moved to Dallas. We opted to go to Hollywood beach, where we are familiar. My boys had such a wonderful time while at the beach, especially Gabriel (our toddler) who never want to stop digging the sand with his little plastic pail and shovel his dad bought him at the dollar store..just soooo cute watching him so occupied with his digging (pictured here), LOL. Our little one had a nice time too and was babbling the whole time. He looked so cute naked sitting on the beach blanket, sitting up with just his little swimmers on. :)

So after the beach, we headed to our favorite Cuban restaurant called Las Vegas Cuban Restaurant in Pembroke Pines. My hubby and I both had the "Lechon" (pork asado), a Cuban dish that's similar with the Filipino cuisine. Then had a beer with it. Yumm, that was good. We were pigging out, LOL. So after this big lunch, we were craving for coffee so we went to our old favorite coffee place called "The Coffee Scene" which is only like three doors down the Cuban restaurant. As soon as we opened the door, the big picture of Ramiele Malubay (the Filipino-American girl who made it to the Top 24 in this season's American Idol) in the middle of the coffee shop greeted us. Remember in my earlier post about her, I told you all that she used to be just a neighbor when we used to live in Fort Lauderdale? The shop 'barista' later told us that every Wednesday, Ramiele used to sing at their coffee shop lounge to entertain guests, before she went to audition for American Idol and that they (co-workers at the coffee shop) convinced Ramiele to do the audition because everyone thought she had real talent. And they were right. Anyways, we were also told that she served as a waitress at the sushi restaurant next door to the coffee shop.

So there you have a little trivia on Ramiele Malubay.

All in all we enjoyed the trip. I know it's a little weird to say this, since it was mainly to attend my father in-law's funeral service. But I was trying to cheer up my husband the whole time and I think it worked.

My New Year's Day

This is how I spent my New Year's Day. :)

This morning after the usual chores, I started taking down the Christmas tree and putting away the ornaments. Of course, that's in between taking care of the kids and cleaning the house here and there, LOL. Before lunch time, my husband and I suggested we go out and cruise around, and treat ourselves to a nice lunch somewhere.

We ended up in Addison, a nice little city of itself here in Dallas. It's a little upscale commercial place with all kinds of fancy and not-so-fancy little restaurants and quaint little shops, just about 10 miles where we live. So anyways, I was craving for some hot Asian soup (think wonton or egg drop soup) since I still had a little cold. After about an hour of driving around the main strip of Addison we settled for a laid-back little Chinese restaurant called May Dragon. I had the "Five Flavor Shrimp" with my wonton soup and steamed rice. My husband had a "Smoked Duck" with his. We were satisfied, although not totally. I guess my husband and I are a little 'spoiled' since at the time we still live in Houston, we used to check out all types of cuisines and fancy restaurants there. (This was before the kids, LOL). Houston (Texas) is very famous with having the best eats and the many varieties of restaurants you can find! :)

Anyways, I was checking out the May Dragon Restaurant's decor and I noticed in one corner of the room was a red banner that said, "The only 4-star Chinese restaurant in Dallas". Hmmm, so I guess we didn't make a bad choice anyways. Besides the good food, we liked the quiet, laid-back ambience. The place wasn't crowded too and we were seated in a big four-seat table in the middle corner of one room. It was a conducive little corner fit for one stroller, two diaper bags and a slightly restless toddler. Over all, we enjoyed our meal and the time together.

Afterwards, we went to get some grocery items at the Walmart store a few blocks down our house.

This evening, after I put our kiddos to sleep, I will try and finish putting away the Christmas stuff. Then get ready for tomorrow, and call it a night. Hopefully I'll be in bed before midnight, as this is actually one of my New Year's resolutions--is to get at least five hours of sleep at night. Huh! Lucky me! ;)

A Bit Tired Today...

Just got home from our little weekend vacation trip from Houston..it was nice.

Blogged about it on our 'family adventures'. :)