Getting Back

Hello, friends. I'm glad to be back. I can't believe it's been three weeks since my last post here. As you well know, I'm very active on my other blog where I write reviews for products that I test. I'm playing catch up on my writing commitments there. But as super busy as I am right now, I'm still not going to totally disregard my personal blog. :)

Anyway, thank you all for your heart-felt encouragement over my 'separation anxiety' with my kids. We've all been back from our trips since last Sunday. I've missed the boys so much I had to go pick them up from their dad's house an hour after I arrived from my trip to Colorado- no matter how tired I was. That night, I cried with joy and thanked God the two weeks of not seeing them was over.

Okay, on a happier note. I had a fabulous time both in New York City and at the Epic Summer Adventure experience in Colorado the week after that. Dan and I took tons of photos on both trips, and we sure had a hell o' good times! It was my first time in the Rocky Mountain High, so I was on top of the world the whole time. It was just perfectly amazing! ;)

Right now, I'm back to my mommy routine. The laundry doesn't look too good right now, but I'm taking it one day at a time.

How are you all? Hope everything is well.

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. :)

Had A Great Week

First off, I apologize dear Hip Mama Blog friends.

It's been a while since the last post. I have just been really busy with the demands of being a mommy and Hip Mama's Place.
But overall, it has been a great week for me.

First, I had two new advertisers on Hip Mama's Place (which means a little moolah for me), and then I won the toy giveaway on Mom Knows Everything.

Gabriel had a big grin on his face when I showed him his two choices of toys, and he picked the Hot Wheels T-Rex Playset. So yes! Wonderful surprises, don't you all agree? :)

And then, my honey told me we're going for a few days in New York City- just to get away. So I am very excited about that too. :)

I had to keep up with some posts I need to do on my two blogs. Plus, I am going to have anew big giveaway event starting August 3rd on Hip Mama's Place. There will be tons of fantastic prizes for the mommies! So I hope you all watch for it.

Thank you for coming by today. Have a blessed day! :)

Gabriel: Official Minniekickers League Player

So I enrolled Gabriel (my very active four year old boy) in the mini soccer league for our county this summer. It's starting in September and I can't wait to see him run around the field with other 3-5 year old boys looking so adorably cute in his little soccer outfit. Wow, I can't believe my first-born is growing so fast! :)

Anyway, I'm just excited to share this to you all. :)

Today is all about catching up with a lot of emails, deadlines and product review requests on Hip Mama's Place. I'm also suppose to check out a colon cleanser review. A friend told me about it and it's suppose to help with weight loss.

And tonight I am excited about starting a nice running routine again around my neighborhood. I've uploaded my IPod last night with new upbeat tunes to go with this new fitness goal. Hopefully I will look more fit by December and lose the extra fifteen pounds already! :)

Happy Birthday, Gabriel!

My son Gabriel turned 4 today. We had so much fun at Chuck E. Cheese's at his birthday party last night. :D


I didn't actually expect for the party to be nice and smooth like it turned out knowing Chuck E. Cheese's is always crowded no matter what day or time you go but the one in Woodbridge, Virginia where we had it held is actually nicer, newer and cleaner than all the other ones we've been to. And since it was a week night party, we didn't have the same crazy crowd and we even had unlimited time at our tables instead of just the usual 90 minute-limit on their birthday parties. So anyway, everyone had a lot of fun, even the adults!


Gabriel received some cool presents from family and friends that included a giant train Imaginarium from his dad, Thomas the Tank train set, play-dohs, and random little cars and books. No, he didn't get an XBox which is becoming a typical present a kid gets these days. Gabriel certainly doesn't need anything like that anytime soon. ;D

Anyway, to all our family and friends who helped celebrate Gabriel's birthday with us: THANK YOU SO MUCH! Gabriel is currently enjoying his new toys (presents) as I'm writing this entry. ;D

Gabriel is going to be Four

It's been a year this month since my boys Gabriel and Jaden and I visited my family in the Philippines. It didn't seem that long ago. We even got to celebrate Gabriel's 3rd birthday there last year.

This Friday- July 3rd, Gabriel is turning four. Dan and I decided to give him a Chuck E. Cheese party this year which we're doing one day ahead- tomorrow. We've invited a few friends here in Woodbridge and their little kids so it should be so much fun! I'm always the last minute preparer of things so today I went to the local Safeway and ordered a "Cars" themed sheet cake. Cost me about $32 but I figured it's better to have more than enough for everyone. There will probably be about a dozen kids and a dozen adults who are coming. I also went to Party City for party hats, favors and confettis.

I'll be sure to post photos of the birthday party by the end of the week, I promise! :D

Crazy Busy Week

This week, I started taking care of my boys full-time again. Yup, me and my ex-hub are trying something new to help with daycare costs. I am compensated, but it won't be as high as what the daycare asks for. And since I have never been too crazy about taking them to daycare, I think this set up will work for everyone. So let's see how it goes.

One thing that I hated most about my kids being in daycare is that they seem to catch every single germs and so they were sick all the time. I have given up on working out of home full-time because I did it three times it never worked. I end up quitting the jobs because every single week, my kids are sick- either one of them or both. It wasn't worth going to work everyday and worrying if they're okay in daycare, if they're eating fine, or if they're going to get sick again the next day when they weren't. Gosh, it was such a real pain. Also lately, my little Jaden hasn't been eating well too since he caught that on and off coughing and cold from where else- the daycare. He used to never been picky with food and he always has good appetite to any food we give him. Now it's like an ordeal every meal time. So tomorrow I am taking him to the doctor about that and also ask about the lumpy bruise on his left elbow that hasn't gone away since two months ago. Ugh. It is worrying me.

Anyway, I got too much to say but too little time. I am off to the kitchen to make dinner now. Our Shih Tzu dog Gibson, is also barking and I think he is hungry too. Dan took him to a vet last week too for some tummy problems. But he is okay now and maybe this weekend, we'll take him to one of those indoor doggy parks with dog ramps. Dogs do grow on you and sometimes they do act like babies. :D

How is your week going?

Hello

Whoa! The past week went by quick. Let's see...

Besides trying to get more organized around the house, my boys who were on and off with fever and coughing kept me busy all week. Running to pick them up from daycare, to the doctor, then tending to them at home. Not so much with Gabriel, but more with Jaden. He hasn't eaten well, so I had to make sure he eats so I kept him at home. Thank God yesterday he looked better and he started eating like normal again. So today they both went back to daycare. Hopefully they will be fine for the rest of the week.

Weather-wise, it's been raining here in Virginia in the mornings for the past two weeks and my boys go to daycare every morning at 6:30AM. So yesterday afternoon I went to OshKosh (kids' clothing store) and bought them new rain jackets. Good thing they had a half off sale, so I only paid $20 each instead of $40. Whew, their clothes are actually more expensive than mine sometimes, LOL. :)

On a brighter note, I had a fantastic time with my honey (Dan) and his eleven year old son (Jordan) in Virginia Beach last weekend. I will try and post a few of our photos on a separate post with details about our fun weekend trip. Meanwhile, let me look at some rubber stamps that I want to get for Dan's office. :)

How Was Your Weekend?

So how did you all spend your Mother's Day weekend?

Mine went like this:


Saturday: Me, my sweety (Dan), his eleven year old son (Jordan), and three of Dan's soccer buddies went to see the D.C. United (the major league soccer team for Washington DC) play with Toronto FC. It was a first-time for me to see a D.C. United game so I was so excited. They had a tie with Toronto FC- but we thought D.C. United is going to lose. So we were glad they didn't. I don't know if I mentioned it before, but both Dan and his son play soccer on their own. Dan keeps himself fit playing soccer twice a week and I've started liking soccer more since the first time I watched him play. His son also plays for his school soccer team. Anyway, I had fun at the game. We brought our grilling machine for yummy burgers and had a few beers. I am not a big beer drinker, but I drunk like one and a half beers the whole time we were hanging out at the parking lot before the game started. I had a blast the whole time! :)








Sunday: The whole morning was spent running errands. Then in the afternoon, Dan and I took my little boys Gabriel and Jaden to the park and hanged out there for about two hours. We were going to stop somewhere for dinner afterwards but the boys were already very tired and sleepy after playing so much in the park and being under the sun for a while. The weather was perfect and we took a lot of pictures with Dan's new super-cool Nikon D60 camera. I've posted a few of our pics here. Hope you like them.

Anyway, I gotta go read up a bit on wireless alarm. Later...

Surprise from my babies today

I had a really cute surprise from my little guys today (Gabriel, 3.5 years old and Jaden, 2 years old) when I picked them up from the daycare. They made me beautiful Mother's Day cards! :)

I wish I could post it here but my camera is still broken. I might try the phone camera later though. Anyway, the cards so touched my heart. I received two separate MD cards from my babies- the very first time ever.

Anyway, tonight and the weekend they will be staying with their dad. I am going to finish up decorating their bedroom at my 'new house'. I was at the Home Goods store today looking for discount lights and boys' room decor. I found some cute blue storage baskets instead for their closet.

For Mother's Day, me and Dan will be picking up the boys in the afternoon and take them at a state park close to where we live. Then go to dinner together with my guys. :)

Happy Birthday, Jaden!

Today is our little Jaden's 2nd birthday. No, we didn't have a party for him. We got him a cute cake and a few toys. I did feel a little bad that we still couldn't give him a party like his 1st birthday. We just moved here where we are and we don't know a lot of people yet. But Joe and I promised him we're going to give him a real nice big birthday party next year. :D

Anyway, today was still fun. We wanted to go out have some nice dinner somewhere tonight but with about 6 inches of snow on the ground today, we though it would be a pain to do that. So we will try and go another night.

I'm Back

Whew. This past week had been really tough for my family. The boys were sick again. Gosh, I can't tell you how many times they've seen their pediatrician for the last five weeks. Then the ER visits- that's a different story.

Anyway, so much for sad stories. They are staying home today with their dad. Hopefully tomorrow they will both feel better enough to go back to daycare. Ugh.

I barely have time for myself these days. Last night, I took a somewhat leisurely shower right after the kids were in bed. This was like 1AM. Then I realized I haven't applied on my face moisturizer for like three weeks now. Gosh. The wrinkles are starting to show. I told myself I got to keep up with the beauty routine. :)

Speaking of beauty routine, I saw this show on TV yesterday about women talking about feminine issues like beauty, makeup, fashion. One woman was asking about feminine hygiene and vaginal dryness. Pretty interesting. Sometimes watching shows like these gets me motivated at checking my own beauty routines again.

Anyhow friends, I hope everyone is well. I will be visiting your blogs again. Very soon. I promise! :)

What A Week

This week was just unbelievably disastrous.

It started Monday morning when I had to leave my new job early because my little Jaden was throwing up sick at the daycare. Yes, it was the first day for all of us! Me at my new job and my boys at their daycare. Ugh!

To make the long story short, I had to take Jaden to his doctor who later recommended that I take Jaden to the ER which I did. That night, he had to be admitted at the hospital pediatrics for further treatment. My little Jaden was actually being a god boy at the hospital the whole time. He had on his little hospital gown and he looked so adorably cute in it. I didn't feel too bad looking at him in his hospital bed. Except for the time when the nurses took him to another room to take his bloodwork and I could hear his little painful screams. I cried briefly, but at the same time I know it had to be done. When he came back to his room, he was fine again. At first, he was tring to take his IV off his little right arm. But eventually he was okay with it and seemed to understand the whole situation later. My baby Jaden is the cutest in the world even when he is sick!

Tuesday, I went back to my job and Joe (their dad) had to take the day off work to stay with Jaden at the hospital. Gabriel (our three year old) and I went home Monday night and I dropped him off at the daycare the next day.

Tuesday night Jaden was already home from the hospital. Thank God it wasn't that bad for him.

The whole day yesterday went fine. Until last night... Gabriel caught a flu virus at the daycare (we suspect) and today Thursday I had to call off work again to stay home with my boys. My manager at my new job is a very nice lady and was understanding of the whole situation last Monday. So hopefully what happened today wouldn't be bad for me.

I know. These are the days when I scream for help. I'm fine. But yes, it would be nice if I have my family and friends close by. But I guess we all have to make do of what we have. I am managing fine. I really do. But I just wish...

A Day at the Daycare

So the past few days I have been checking out a few daycare places for my little boys since I am going to start a new full-time job outside of home come Monday. I rounded the list down to two and finally today, I made a decision and enrolled my love pies to the one next to the gym where I am enrolled at.

Not only that this daycare will help with my fitness goals, I also liked it because compared to the other place, it's much cleaner and more spacious-- lots of rooms for my boys to play at and run around! The kids there also look clean and each room is not as crowded with kids as the other place. The staff are also very friendly and seem like they know what they're doing. I also looked at the daily school activities and was impressed enough that I finally said to myself, "Okay, Jocelyn. You just need to pick one you really like and feel good about and go for it!". So that's what I did and chose this place and finally enrolled my boys there this afternoon.

We stayed for a little bit to give my boys a chance to play with the other kids there and get a feel for the place. So far they were fine and actually enjoyed themselves while we were there.

So I turned over all my paperwork for the enrollment and asked the school director for a list of things I need to bring for my boys. I was surprised they didn't need a lot. I felt really relieved that I found a place I can be comfortable with leaving my kids while I go back to work. I know it will be a little tough for me and my boys the first couple of weeks, but we will all get through it.

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! :)

A Fascination With Stickers

My three year old son Gabriel's new fascination is with stickers. He loves peeling off stickers and sticking them on puzzle books.

So today I went to the bookstore and bought him a few of those two-in-one coloring and sticker books.

*Play Scene Sticker Set by MudPuppy, valued @ $11, being given away to one lucky reader on Hip Mama's Place right now!

He must have spent a full hour just peeling off stickers and sticking them on the puzzle book pages. Playing with stickers is also a wonderful time to bond with him and educate him at the same time as I show him names of things, animals, and other everyday things that are on the stickers. I am glad he likes to play with stickers, instead of sticking his face close to the TV screen for Sesame Street or Teletubbies all the time. :)

"Oh, man!!!!"

This is funny.

Whenever Gabriel does something bad, I exclaim: "Oh, man! Why did you do that, baby?". He usually just runs away and pretends like it's not a big deal. Like the other day, he spilled half of my coffee (ground coffee in the can) and I was like, "Oh, man! Baby...that is not cool!".

So yesterday my little one Jaden was playing with him in the living room and at one point Jaden got tired and started crying his fussy "I'm sleepy now, Mommy" cry and out of the blue, Gabriel must not liked his brother crying like he did, so he blurted out, looking directly at his little brother Jaden- "Oh, man!!!". LOL.

It was sooooo cute I wished I had my video camera when he said it. That was the first time I heard him say that and it was just way too cute of him. :)

Say "Thank You"!

My toddler Gabriel really starts to talk a lot now. His speech therapist came by today and told me all the progress he's making. Anyways, here are some things he's really good at right now: he can say the alphabet from A to Z, count from 1 to 30, knows his basic shapes, basic colors, and can now say phrases like "socks and shoes" for when he wants to wear them, ask for "milk" when he wants it, or say "no" and "yes", "thank you" and "you're welcome", among others.

Anyways, I read about an article about the importance of teaching your child to say "thank you". One of the many ways you can teach your child to say "thank you" is by integrating art with it and bring out your child's creativity- like drawing his favorite person on a card and spell the words "thank you" and give it to that favorite person afterwards. Gabriel loves to draw so this is such a great idea!

Which also reminds me, now that I'm talking about saying "thank you", that I need to get some new "thank you cards". My little Jaden had a birthday recently and I still haven't gotten around to sending Thank you cards for our family and friends who had sent us greetings and presents. It looks like I might look into CardsDirect.com. I like that I am able to personalize my cards as well as put my return addresses on the envelopes.

I like the design pictured on this post- simple and lively.

My Little Jaden Is Walking Now!

*At four months old

It seems only yesterday when I had my baby Jaden. He was born March 2nd, 2007. Now he's 14 months old and has just started taking his first steps a week ago! I can't help feeling so excited looking at him stand up and struggle to walk and then fall, only to try again. He's so adorable right now that this morning I asked dear hubby to show me how to use our video camera again. I totally forgot how to use it! Must have been a year since I haven't used it myself. I've just been so pre-occupied with a lot of things lately that I almost ignored the fact that my kids will appreciate the video library of their childhood when they grow up. So yes, I am going to start taking videos of my kids again. :)

*At twelve months old

Anyways, here are a few cute shots of when Jaden is still a baby up to the present. :)

*What a pout! LOL. (Taken recently at a friend's party. Thanks again, Liza- for this beautiful picture).

Bananas In the Fireplace

So you're probably thinking.."What the heck is "Bananas in the Fireplace"? Well, I am talking about one of my toddler Gabriel's many mischiefs- which could be at times unnerving, sometimes funny, and sometimes it's so adorable that I just want to hug and kiss him! LOL.

This one is definitely a classic and something that we'll reminisce about when he's a grown up.

So this morning while preparing breakfast for him and his little brother, I was looking for bananas in the basket where I normally keep them on the kitchen counter, but I couldn't find them. I swear I wasn't dreaming when I put away a bunch of it last night from their daddy's groceries! Ugh. So I was looking for them in the pantry, in the refrigerator and finally I gave up. While I was walking towards the master bedroom a little while later, I saw the bunch of bananas in the fireplace! OMG! I said, "Gabriel baby, bananas are food. They don't belong in the fireplace, okay?", and kissed and hugged him. He just had this big smile and let out an excited little laugh that told me: "Hey, Mommy. I got you, didn't I?". LOL. Isn't that funny?

He's really into climbing up bathroom and kitchen counters these days. That's how he took the bunch of bananas and put them in the fireplace. :)