Nel, Con, Joaquin, Jacob .... The Versoza Inc.

To LiLiw Laguna We Go!

2012-04-09T01:29:00.000+08:00

My father has this habit of just, with one snap of his finger, boarding our car and go to out of town trips and be back by night fall. One of the craziest we had was our Baguio trip way back in the 90's. We left Manila at 1:30am, we reached Baguio at around 8:00am (due to numerous kidney breaks. lol)... After a whole day of non-stop sight seeing, we left Baguio at 9:00pm and was back at home at around 4:00am! Haha! Wild!

Since this was a long weekend, and there was nothing to do much on a lazy Sunday, Papa decided to go on a road trip to ... Liliw Laguna!

This is probably one of the most fun road trips we ever had as a family.

We started the trip at 11:00am (told ya, biglaan kaya, no particular time. lol)

First stop, was a late lunch at Durafe Cafe. At first, I was bit skeptic, even thought of making an excuse of not eating there, but come to think of eat, might as well be adventurous with food.

When you chance upon Durafe, try their Tortang Patola! Surprisingly sweet and yummy! We'll definitely try cooking this at home. And another must try is their Fried chicken, with it's unique dipping sauce - Atsuete oil.. it works!

Then we continued our way.... We passed by Magadelana, then after a while, we saw the welcome ark of Liliw, Laguna, yay!

We parked infront of this lovely lovely lovely church! Who would have known there is such a gem in this area. As in ang ganda ng church!

Then it was time for serious shoe shopping!!!

But what really made my day.... to see how happy my family was ... A complete, loving, healthy family -- this is the true wealth.

We were dead tired but extremely happy with our loot. We ended the night with a not so exotic dinner at Exotic restaurant (they ran out of exotic dishes. lol).

We reached Pasig at around 11:00pm... Dead tired, but so happy. Thank you Papa and Mama for keeping this wonderful tradition. We are so lucky and blessed to have you as our parents. I pray that we continue and pass to our children the values you have taught us... that family is always first :)

Looking forward to our next road trip!

My Type of Diet

2012-04-03T16:09:00.001+08:00

Something worked... FINALLY! And I can't be anymore happier!

This is what I looked like 3 weeks after I gave birth to Jacob, around 3rd week of June 2011

See how my LARGE shirt (yep, Bench polo shirt, male fit, size: LARGE), hugged my bulges. Also notice, that I'm hiding the other half of my bulges behind my sister's body. lolz. So imagine, how huge I was during this time.

Fast forward to my Mom's birthday party last March 2012

With my good good friend and fellow ketogenicker Jacque

I can now wear a fitted knitted top! I started with the diet at around December 2011, and incorporated cardio exercise weeks after. To date I have lost 41lbs... the first 21lbs courtsey of pure breastfeeding and late nights (super puyat the first 3 months with Jacob), the 20lbs courtesy of Ketogenic diet and exercise.

So I am now sharing with you the Kegenic Diet...

1.) Write up from my fellow Ketogenicker mommy friend Jacque . I'm literally copying and pasting this form her blog.

Ketogenic diet requires someone to eat low carb. as a starter and if you really want to lose weight, you have to stay at a 20g. of carbohydrates per day. How do you count the carbs? Read the label. :) I've learned to always read the label. Here are some tips that you can read about. I got this from dietdoctor.com. For two weeks that i'm on this regimen, I lost about 5 lbs already and I'm so happy that i'm not craving for sweets (chocolates, ice cream) which is very unusual of me. haha. I hope i'd be able to get used to this and stick to the regimen for a long time. Apparently, i have friends who know about this too and it has become effective on them too. :) i'm excited!

LCHF (Low Carb, High Fat) means you eat less carbohydrates with a higher proportion of fat. The most important point is to minimize your intake of sugar and starches. That way you can eat other delicious foods until you are satisfied – and still lose weight.
A number of recent high quality scientific studies show that LCHF makes it easier to lose weight and control your blood sugar. And that may just be the beginning.

The basics

Eat: meat, fish, eggs, vegetables growing above ground and natural fats (like butter).
Avoid: sugar and starchy foods (like bread, pasta, rice and potatoes).

Eat when you’re hungry until you are satisfied. It’s that simple. You do not need to count calories or weigh your food. And just forget about industrially produced low fat products.

Real food. Add some good fat (like butter).

There are good scientific reasons why LCHF works. When you avoid sugar and starches your blood sugar stabilizes and the levels of the fat storing hormone insulin drops. This increases your fat burning and make you feel more satiated.

Note for diabetics

Avoiding the carbohydrates that raise your blood sugar decreases your need for medication to lower it. Taking the same dose of insulin as before might result in hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). You will need to test your blood sugar frequently in the beginning and adapt (lower) your medication. This should ideally be done with the assistance of a knowledgeable physician. If you are healthy or a diabetic treated by diet alone or just with Metformin there is no risk of hypoglycemia.

Dietary advice

Eat all you like

Meat: Any type. Beef, pork, game meat, chicken. The fat on the meat is good as well as skin on the chicken. Try to choose organic or grass fed meat if you can.

Fish and shellfish: All kinds. Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel or herring are great. Avoid breading.

Eggs: All kinds. Boiled, fried, omelettes. Preferably organic eggs.

Natural fat, fat sauces: Using butter and cream when you cook can make your food taste better and make you more satiated. Béarnaise, Hollandaise, read on the packages or make it yourself. Coconut fat, olive oil and canola oil are also good options.

Vegetables growing above ground: All kinds of cabbage, such as cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts. Asparagus, zucchini, eggplant, olives, spinach, mushrooms, cucumber, lettuce, avocado, onions, peppers, tomatoes and more.

Dairy products: Always select high fat options. Real butter, cream (40% fat), sour cream, fat cheese. Turkish yogurt. Be careful with regular milk and skim milk as it contains a lot of milk sugar. Avoid flavored, sugary and low fat products.

Nuts: Good to eat instead of candy in front of the television (preferably in moderation).

Berries: Okay in moderation, if you are not a super strict /-sensitive. Good with whipped cream.

Maximum 5 grams of carbohydrate (excluding fiber) per 100 g of food is a basic tip for beginners.

Avoid if you can

Sugar: The worst. Soft drinks, candy, juice, sports drinks, chocolate, cakes, buns, pastries, ice cream, breakfast cereals. Preferably avoid sweeteners as well.
Starch: Bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, french fries, potato chips, porridge, muesli and so on. »Wholemeal products” are just less bad. Moderate amounts of root vegetables may be OK if you’re not too strict with the carbohydrates.
Margarine: Industrially imitated butter with unnaturally high content of omega-6 fat. Has no health benefits, tastes bad. Statistically linked to asthma, allergies and other inflammatory diseases.
Beer: Liquid bread. Full of malt sugar, unfortunately.
Fruit: Very sweet, plenty of sugar. Eat once in a while, treat it as a natural form of candy.

Once in a while

You decide when the time is right. Your weight loss may slow down a bit

Alcohol: Dry wine (regular red wine or dry white), whisky, brandy, vodka, drinks without sugar.
Dark chocolate: Above 70 % cocoa, preferably just a little.

Drink most days

Water
Coffee: Try it with full fat cream
Tea

2.) In depth look at the Ketogenic Diets and Ketosis
source: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/keto.htm
The main benefit of keto diets is that it increases the body's ability to utilize fats for fuel, which gets very lazy on a high carbohydrate diet. Learn the scientific facts!
by Jonathan Deprospo

What's So Great About Being In Ketosis?

Establishing this metabolic state of ketosis even for a short period of time has many outstanding benefits.

Benefit #1

The main benefit being that it increases the body's ability to utilize fats for fuel, which gets very lazy on a high carbohydrate diet. When on high carbohydrate diets the body can usually expect an energy source to keep entering the body. But in the state of ketosis the body has to become efficient at mobilizing fats as energy.

Benefit #2

Another nifty thing about being in a state of ketosis is that if the body has no further use for ketones they can simply be excreted through urine as a waste product. This means that at times your body will be peeing out body fat! This is a novel theme because you body is very efficient at storing energy substrates for later use.

Benefit #3

Ketosis has a protein sparing effect, assuming that you are consuming adequate quantities of protein and calories in the first place. Once in ketosis the body actually prefers ketones to glucose. Since the body has copious quanities of fat this means that there is no need to oxidize protein to generate glucose through gluconeogenesis.

Benefit #4

Another benefit has to do with the low levels of insulin in the body, which causes greater lipolysis and free glycerol release compared to a normal diet when insulin is around 80-120. Insulin has a lipolysis blocking effect, which can inhibit the use of fatty acids as energy. Also when insulin is brought to low levels many beneficial hormones are released in the body such as growth hormone and other powerful growth factors.

Benefit #5

Another small but very important benefit about the ketogenic diet is that when in the state of ketosis, ketones seem to blunt hunger in many people. I mean honestly, what is not better than being on a low calorie diet and not being hungry all the time like you usually are such as on a high carbohydrate diet. Since on the ketogenic diet you have to consume a lot of fat, which hold 9 calories, you are not getting much food volume. This makes not being hungry a very good thing when on the diet. When you add such thermogenics like the ECA stack and prescription appetite suppressants you won't even think about your next meal. It's kind of funny that when the Atkins' diet first came out one of the early criticisms was that the diet blunted hunger too much! What, is it mandatory to be hungry on a reduced calorie diet?

Benefit #6

The last benefit has to do with the fact that a ketone body is an inefficient fuel source due to the fact that when the fatty acid is converted to a KB it contains 7 calories. This means that the normal pound of fat has less than 3500 calories.

read more: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/keto.htm

A Love Letter To MoTherhood

2012-03-25T19:03:00.000+08:00

This is one of the best descriptions of Motherhood by far POSTED BY MELISSAEJORDAN ON MARCH 16TH, 2012 AT 10:48 AM

What is motherhood but the very best chance to learn what you are made of? It will strip you down to nothing. Make you doubt yourself a thousand times. And it will make you roar with a fierceness you’ve never before seen. It will search your heart for your greatest fears and the bravest of all your intentions and set them out on display.

It breaks you. It saves you. It steals the girl you were. All of her. You’ll never sleep like her or be as carefree as she once was, but she’d never believe the courage or the selflessness she’ll one day possess in you. Motherhood replaces her with someone who understands love on a level the girl you were never could.

It’s okay to sometimes wish you could go back and live a day in her shoes. A day to bask in the decadence of irresponsibility. But if she could look forward: If she could see herself tested, how her fears have been faced, how the question “Am I strong enough to survive this?” is answered with a resounding yes, time after time. She’d feel damn proud to become the woman that awaits her.

http://blogs.babble.com/babys-first-year-blog/2012/03/16/a-love-letter-to-motherhood/

32 and wiShinG

2012-01-22T23:07:00.000+08:00

Nothing beats having your family around on your birthday :)

Last year, I got almost half of my wish list... So for this year, as I turn 32.... these are what I want and I deserve, and I am telling and commanding them to the universe (The Secret / The Power)

1. I am grateful that I have a complete and healthy family... aside from that, I just want HAPPINESS for my family. Pure, unadulterated HAPPINESS.

2. Booming sales for our drugstore and distribution business

3. Unending projects for hubby :) No gaps and waiting in between (yes, be concise to the Universe)

4. A healthier , fitter, and sexier me! ( Walang kokontra! haha!) and yes, I do dream of joining and finishing a marathon.

and even sport a new look

5. A food business, a small franchise kiosk to start up, then a quaint little coffee-sandwich shop

6. Travel and experience food culture from other country. Maybe even study a short course.

7. A house of our own with a kick-ass kitchen

8. A brand new SUV for hubby! Specifically, the 2012 Mistsubishi Pajero

9. More Savings :) yes, in both denominations. hahaha!

HappY 8mOnThs JaCobEe!

2012-01-18T10:28:00.002+08:00

Bunso is 8 months today! And everyday is a milestone :)

At eight months, Jacobee can do the following:
> Eat a cupful of oats, mashed potatoes-carrots-squash (yes, one cupful talaga! takaw!)
> Drink straight from the glass (thanks yaya jen! galing ng training mo)
> Sit upright for longer period of time
> All senses in full swing! (sight, hear, touch, smell, and taste)
> Loves to bite! (2 front lower teeth protruding)
> Loves to walk with hand support only -- HATES being put in the andador. lol. (i think hate is an understatement. lol)

> Loves to hold the handle bars (is this what you call it?) in the car and gaze out of the window -- hmm... lalim mag-isip...

> Reacts, plays, and communicates (a.k.a. shout and squeal either in delight or frustration) with Papa and Kuya

> Loves to eat yogurt! His ultimate fave! and pediatrician says its A-Ok and healthy pa :)

OraLE! oLe!

2012-01-17T12:29:00.002+08:00

Thanks to Sister Tin and Fiance BJ, Nel and I are sooooo raving about this new Mexican Restaurant discovery....

ORALE, located at the Fort Strip

For better visual presentation, I grabbed these two pictures from OAP's blog

Their Chicken Quesadilla is simply TO DIE FOR!

The same goes for their STEAK BURRITO! Hubby forgot his name sa sarap! lol.

But sad to say, I can't say the same thing for their lonely Nachos -- just didn't click our taste buds :)

Órale! Taqueria Mexicana (address grabbed from OAP's blog as well)
The Fort Strip, 7th Avenue corner 28th Street
(located where Go Nuts Donuts used to be)
Bonifacio Global City

GaV and GeNe

2012-01-14T10:00:00.002+08:00

I got married in 2006, since then, my barkada would make a constant guess and bet who would tie the knot next.... and after 6 years... who knew... it would be Gene's turn!

The Ceremony was held at the Central United Methodist Church along TM Kalaw at the heart of Manila. It was a first for us to attend a Methodist (pardon if the term is incorrect) wedding, and it was like a Catholic's as well, just different with the readings and rites.

Kuya Joaquin was one of the Page Boys (a.k.a. Bearers), while Besty Chris was one of the Bridesmaids.

Besty Gene, trying hard not to cry... awww....

I love this part! "You may now kiss your bride".... meaning they are now officially married... wedding is over... and time to head to the reception... and eat!!! hahahaha!

I love love love the set-up that Scenta Creations did at the Makati Shanrila reception. The attention to details can't be missed! And it was so elegantly and tastefully done :)

Kuya Joaquin was thrilled when he saw his name on the place cards. He eagerly sat on his 'assigned' seat and insisted that his picture be taken with his 'place card'. haha :)

It was a beautiful and memorable wedding. You can feel the love. Now, if only Kats was here... :) I wonder when we will be complete again. Suddenly... I miss my Bestys

HappY 2012!

2012-01-01T23:09:00.001+08:00

Happy HaPPy NeW yeAr!

And I just know that 2012 will be an awesome year because of

them :)

mY FuLL-pLedGe kUya

2011-11-25T15:37:00.000+08:00

Ever since Jacob was born... one constant fear that hubby and I have is that Joaquin would reject his baby brother due to jealousy. So I researched for tips on how to ease the transition of JOaquin from being an only child to a Kuya.

I got tips, especially from co-Mommies, on how to prepare Joaquin, and it helped a lot. We included JOaquin with activities with regards to Jacob, like changing Jacob's diaper, giving meds to Jacob, etc.. We made him feel included by letting him participate and giving him 'Kuya' roles. Though it can't be avoided, especially during family gatherings, that relatives would focus more on Jacob (since he is newest addition), leaving Joaquin on one side. Whenever this happens, we have observed that JOaquin would find ways and do something in order to get attention :( That's why we double our effort with Joaquin, especially when we know that Jacob will be the 'star' of the show. Then there is Kuya's date day, (Kuya is the star! while Jacob is left at home with Lola), wherein we let him choose where to go, what to do, what to eat, etc...

SO on Kuya's date day, we went to Eastwood Mall. We made him choose where he wanted to eat (He chose Cravings, cause he saw the bread and buttter sa buffet station. lol). Then we made him play sa timezone, then we went Fully Booked where he got 2 books as prize for being a good Kuya. It was his day, he is the star :)

On our way home... this was the conversation that transpired between Kuya and Papa

Papa: "O Joaquin, nag-enjoy ka ba anak?"

Joaquin: "konting enjoy lang papa"

Papa: "O bakit naman? We did everything you want anak. Ikaw pumili ng restaurant. Nag-timezone tayo. May new books ka pa. Bakit konting enjoy ka lang?"

Joaquin: "Kasi papa iniwan natin si Jacob. Dapat kasama natin si Jacob para happy ako. Kasi diba family tayo, kaya dapat kasama din Jacob"

AWww.... Hubby and I were speechless! Another fear that we had, was for Joaquin to not want Jacob be with us during family trips and outings. BUt we were so amazed and touched at what Joaquin said.... He is a full pledge Kuya! And though there will unavoidable instances that he will feel 'left-out', deep inside, we know that he loves his brother :)

HaLF waY ThERe!

2011-11-18T15:36:00.000+08:00

And just like that, Jacob hits the half way mark! HapPy 6th month sweetheart!

At 6months, Jacob can now do the following:

> sit very minimal support

> roll over... and over... and over.... and over (lol)

> laugh and giggl when played to

> recognize faces (especially mama's and yaya's)

> reach out for an object

> focus at a moving object

But more importantly... he now started eating solids! yey! He is now weighs a hefty 9.5kgs :)

Of course, Kuya was there to lend a helping hand. He sooo adores his baby brother :)

YayA vs. AmO (EmPLoYeR)

2011-11-12T11:30:00.000+08:00

Haha! This is so funny :)

source: http://leahdeleon.com/2011/11/11/this-is-so-funny/

Hmmm... may job opening pa kaya for maids? lol.

bAzAriSTa

2011-10-23T21:52:00.000+08:00

I've always wanted to sell my dishes.... and for this year... it came through!

I was so nervous at first! I have this fear - what if they don't like my cooking, etc, etc, etc, .... turns out my fear had no basis at all!!! yey!! Their feedback was great!!! And they even bought the second time around for take out! yippeee! My Joaquin even promoted Mama's food by going from booth to booth and shouting "Buy na kayo pasta ng Mama ko!" How cute!

My sisters and I shared a booth as well. She is selling kikay stuff while I was more on the baby stuff. Our parents were in full support! They were even our first customers! Hahahahaha! Papa just love my baked macaroni and he was the one who insisted that I start selling it. I guess I needed that little push from them... and it all paid off :)

We will be selling all Sundays until December 2011 :) See you at Foodtown Weekend Market!

HappY 5mOnThs JaCob!

2011-10-18T15:34:00.030+08:00

Instead of the traditional cupcakes, hubby and I decided to get a mini-cake for Jacob's 5th month celebration (read between the lines -- bitin sa amin ang cupcakes.lol)

We had a simple and sinful merienda celebration at Mcdonalds Libis

At 5 months, Jacob can do the following:

> roll-over or rather tumble over and over

> focus and grab objects (especially colorful ones)

> babble non-stop

> say MAMA!!!! <---- yup! his 1st word!

> giggle and laugh when surprised

> recognize faces ( in Tagalog, nangingilala)

> scratches right part of his head (which is becoming a funny habit. lol)

> sits upright, with support

> drools big time, which I read is his body's way of preparing for the introduction of solid foods

> grab his feet! (sabay subo! lol lol lol)

jaCobee

2011-10-12T11:12:00.001+08:00

I love this stage in a baby's life. When they learn how to smile and giggle non-stop :)

I can't wait for him to start talking! hahahaha :)

A LegeNdAry VisionAry diEs

2011-10-06T11:04:00.000+08:00

RIP Steve Jobs.

WeLcoME to ChRisTianiTy JaCob!

2011-10-02T13:54:00.000+08:00

At last! My baby is baptized!

We got this ensemble from Periwinkle Eastwood. It was so nice! Jacob looked like a mini-prince.

The Baptism rites was held at Sto. de San Jose Greenhills. We opted for a private baptism, since we never liked the idea and the feeling of maraming kasabay. The priest was prompt and kind. The rite was simple yet very solemn. The only irk we had was the parking!

The reception was held at the clubhouse of Riverfront Residences, Pasig. Would you believe that the rent was only P5,000.00?? Although the parking area was ridiculously far, the newness and the cleanliness of the place made it all ok.

The place was dressed up by my good friend Jacque. Due to prescribed budget, we wanted to have really simply balloons (as in ung naka-tali lang sana sa chairs.lol), but to our amazement, Jacque did more than we asked for and didn't even charge a cent! It's her Christening gift for the little boy. The tarpaulin design was c/o of my cousin Sarie and the printing c/o Ninong Robert, again, their gifts for the little boy.

The awesome food was by Tita Mely, which the guests raved about.

Entertainment was provided by no less than our dearest Joaquin, who did a Michael Jackson impromptu presentation with King, followed by a slightly for-adult-only dance and song number by cousin Pao and my brother RC. Thank God for the talented Santiagos! whoowooot!

And the crowd went wild! hahahaha :)

Moments and gatherings like this make me appreciate our families all the more.

Welcome to the Christian World Little One! We love you very much!

BoYs pLaY

2011-09-26T13:23:00.000+08:00

This is our scenario on most nights...

I have grown tired of reprimanding them for ruining the sheets(tigermom here. lol)... but then I realized... if you can't beat them... might as well join them. Hahahaha! And your crankiness will disappear if you watch them play and here them laugh :)

MommY C TuRns 92!

2011-09-19T16:34:00.000+08:00

Our dearest lola (but we all call her Mommy Conse) turned 92. As with her past celebrations, we make sure that we really prepare for it, for every year is sure is a milestone.

The celebration took place at VVI with the theme Willing-Willy, since Mommy is such a fan of Willie Revillame (I know right! lol). And we got her a Casino inspired cake *wink*.

Her birthday celebration started with a special mass to thank God first and foremost.

After a hearty lunch, the program started wherein the families prepared presentations for our dearest Lola.

We all wore same custom shirts! Cute noh :) and for the ending presentation. My kuya cousins wrote a song for our dearest lola expressing how much she is loved :) ... which brought tears to everyone.

Then the blowing of the cake...

We love you Mommy! I wish I can be just like you when I reach your age.... surrounded with love :)

HappY 4mOnThs JaCob!

2011-09-18T00:48:00.000+08:00

Our wonderbaby turns 4 months today!

At four months, Jacob does the following:
> turn over
> plays with his saliva (lol)
> thumb sucks (so like his Kuya)
> giggles and laughs when surprised
> coos and shrieks (i think he is so fond of hearing his own voice)
> recognizes faces (especially Mama's!)
> focuses on objects specially moving ones
> gulps down 5ozs of milk in one sitting!
> rubs his nose non-stop on your shoulder when he finds it difficult to sleep! (ay bad habit na!)

Did I mention that he now weighs 8.6kgs.... yes, he is overweight na! lol.

We love you Baby J! Can't wait to witness more amazing milestones in your life.

ZombAdIngS!

2011-09-13T00:14:00.001+08:00

I never was a fan of Tagalog movies… I guess I had this notion that Tagalog films are with the likes Nora Aunor, Lito Lapid, Robin Padilla, Vic Sotto, and were they usually would end up singing in a beach or somewhere. No offense, but not really a big fan of them.

It all changed when I watched Eugene Domingo’s Kimi Dora… I laughed my head off, and became an overnight fan as well. Yes, I'm a sucker for comedy.

Then Zombadings came along.. it created a buzz that it was a darn good no-brainer laugh your ass off movie. My friends who already saw it were raving. I desperately wanted to watch it! How could you lose if the cast is composed of the great Roderick Paulate, Janice de Belen, John Regala, etc... thing is Hubby hates Tagalog movies, so I had no one to watch it with.

It was a good thing Ate Sabel heard the buzz regarding Zomabdings as well and was curious to see the film too... we ended up having a movie date together! lol! It was our first ever bonding adventure!

The movie was hilarious! Though there were some OA parts, but there were more hits than misses. But more than the movie, I really did enjoy watching the movie with Ate Sabel... and I'm so looking forward to our next movie date. :) Happy Happy Birthday!!!

As I waTch yOu sLeeP...

2011-09-11T00:30:00.002+08:00

Dearest Kuya Joaquin and Baby Jacob,

Tears swell up my eyes as I watch you both sleep. I am so blessed and full of gratitude to the Lord for giving me such beautiful creations. I pray that I be the best mother you two so deserve.

Kuya, they say that firstborns will always have a special place and now I know why. It is indescribable, but to Moms out there who have more than 1 child, I do understand that firstborns are indeed special. They hold the ‘firsts’ in our lives. The first anticipation, the first birth, the first experience, the first smile, the first tooth, the first haircut, the first word, first potty training… everything at its ‘first’. Thank you Kuya for that.

I touched your thick dark hair, I stroked your chubby cheek, I kissed your cute little nose… Kuya wag ka muna lumaki… Sana ganyan ka lang.

Baby J, they say that babies are bundles of joy… and you sure are! I wish I had you sooner, but nevertheless, I am thankful that I have you. Whatever I missed from your Kuya, I am savoring it with you. Whatever I learned from your Kuya, I am applying it to you. Thank you Bunso for making me a better Mom.

I touched your perfectly shaped head, I stroked your soft cheek, I kissed your cute little nose… Baby dahan-dahan lang sa paglaki… Sana ganyan ka lang.

I watch you both sleep and I am filled with love.

JacOb's 1sT ToY!

2011-08-28T01:18:00.003+08:00

Thank you Tita TinTin for my 1st ever toy bracelet. It looks so yummy, cn I eat it too? Tita, I love it when you drop by the house to check on me and Kuya. Mama loves also all the Serenitea you bring her (lol)! I love you Tita TinTin with all my fats este heart! - Jacob

HapPy ThRee mOnThs JacoB!!!

2011-08-18T01:08:00.000+08:00

Thank you Lord for healing Jacob! and at three months he now weighs 7.705kg!

> He can now roll on one side. (oo hirap na hirap pa, dahil sa weight niya. lol)

> Drinks 3.5ozs every 2 hours

> Giggles!

> and is extremely fascinated and finds it fulfilling to suck on all of his fingers. lol.

geT weLL sOon babies :(

2011-08-10T00:53:00.000+08:00

My babies are sick and it's driving me insane!!! First it was papa, then yayas, then Kuya, and finally Baby J!

Both Kuya and Baby were given antibiotics, which I really didn't like, but if it will hasten their recovery, then so be it. But what really tore my heart was when Jacob goes through a coughing episode and had to use a nebulizer to ease the passage of phlegm. I feel so helpless! Sana ako na lang nagkasakit, wag lang sila.

Please Lord... heal my babies.

mR. jOneS

2011-08-01T19:17:00.000+08:00

Tin and B's favorite southern comfort food :) We finally got to taste it...

It's a good thing it was raining cats and dogs or else, my dad would be dragging the whole family to Mercato Centrale. lol. No offense, I'm sure the food i selection is superb there, but I have in tow two babies with colds plus my shoes are not eager to encounter the squishy mud! lol (ang arte!)

Their Caesar Salad was ok, nothing really to rave about... but their Truffle Mac and Cheese was to die for!!! So sinfully Y-U-M-M-Y!

Their tapa overload is a must try! It is so buttery-tasteful-beefy right combination of saltiness and sweetness. I forgot the sandwich dish that my dad ordered but he said it was ok.

Their deep fried dishes such as the Fried Chicken and Fish and Chips are typical tasting and what fried foods should taste like. One thing though, they had a clean taste to it, and not of 'old' oil, plus I liked that both the Chicken and Fish were tender and weren't overcooked.

Angus burger was wiped out by hubby within15minutes. lol.