Love Themes

I've been busy planning and gathering ideas for my boy's third birthday. I know that I'm set on "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" theme, but I can't help but admire other themes that I might choose if I control my son's likes or even if I have a girl.  

If only "The Little Prince" is a cartoon, I would have chosen this as his party theme. It fits him perfectly because he is after all, our little prince. Too bad he's not familiar yet with this book character. Just look at the picture below. Isn't adorable? One thing is for sure, the next time I'll have a baby boy; this will be the theme of his baptism or first birthday party.

photo from www.karaspartyideas.com

I've seen this theme so many times now. It's common, but I'm still impressed with the details. If the host/hostess incorporates the educational value of this theme, I think my son or any kid will learn a lot. The kinds of animals, their habitat, sounds, etc.; it's fun way to learn!

photo from www.karaspartyideas.com

Now I've mentioned in some of my posts that I want another boy should I get pregnant again. I still do. I think boys are low maintenance. But parents with baby girls can have all the fun in party planning! Most of the cutest party themes I saw are for girls. If I'll have a baby girl, the first party theme I'll plan is all about ballet. I had ballet lessons when I was a girl and the very first "occupation" I wanted was to become a prima ballerina. It's just natural that I'll throw a ballerina theme party. In a way, I get to live in my childhood dream too!

photo from www.karaspartyideas.com

 Another theme I want is an Owl party. I like pink but I don't enjoy too much pink. An owl party is a perfect way to play with colors that boys won't fall out of place with. Think about turquoise, yellow, lime, and purple. I love it!

photo from www.
andersruff.com

Anyway, a birthday party needed not to have a theme. That's what my husband always says, and I do agree with him. No matter what theme we choose, it's important that we first give thanks to God for giving us the blessing that is our child. We won't be spending a hundred thousand pesos for our child's party because frankly, we can't afford one. Hence, I'll be doing a lot of DIYs. But I also don't think badly of parents who spent that much for their child's birthday party. They have their own reasons, and I won't take it against them. As long as the parents are not throwing a party to boast their egos/place in the society and will not put their finances in jeopardy, I'd say do it!  Go and have that party you want for your child. I definitely will, but for less. ;)

Party Planning Part 2

My husband just gave me the go signal to start planning for my son's third birthday! Yehey! How exciting can this be?! I suddenly remember the themes I wanted for my son's birthday... 

1st birthday: race car

2nd: mickey mouse

3rd: circus / carnival

4th: safari

5th: construction

6th: nautical

7th: soccer

I might need to scrath this list. I forgot to think that my son will develope his own likes and preferences as he grows up. My son loves eveything Disney Jr. But I know his top 3 favorites are Hi 5, Mickey Mouse, and Jake and the Neverland Pirates. We had a Mickey Mouse theme for his second birthday at home so I'm thinking of having the Jake/pirates theme for his third. Like an obssessed mommy planner, I googled a lot of ideas to make this work. I just got so giddy and excited by looking at these pics because I'm certain my little one will looove it as well.

photo from google.. love this cake!

photo from google... cupcakes and invites

photo from google.... decors

I got a lot if things to consider now, the most important - BUDGET. When I checked one of the forums, I was surprised that some of the parties cost more than six digits! That was crazy!! I wish I have that kind of money. But then again, I don't think I'd spend that much for a kid's birthday party. I'm sure those parents have their reasons but it wouldn't be that practical for me or my family. 

What can I do to have a six-digit-looking party but costs less? DIY. It's the only choice. I'm confident and artistic enough to say that I'll be able to recreate some of the decors and ideas I found online. Since party itself is more than five months away, I'll have plenty of time to stimulate the artist in me.

WB to Me!

Welcome Back, Ayen! Hahaha! I've been gone for a looong time but I've always think about blogging. I try to make at least one entry per month but I have been preoccupied these past months that I neglected this blog.

 

August.

Our house were flooded. =( Good thing my husband and I were both on our restdays so we were able to save all our furniture unlike last year. Being flooded doesn't really happen in our town but most people here says it was because of global warming. I guess I can't argue with that. Anyway, cleaning and drying off our place was a big inconvenience and I also have a toddler who's like a ball of energy. It was too much. I just wanted to sleep and rest during my free time.

 

September.

I can't think of a significant moment that happened this month. I guess it was the crappy internet connection we've been getting so I decided to set aside blogging and just focus on teaching my little boy his ABCs, 123s, and sing Twinkle Twinkle. It was pure mommy and baby bonding time.

 

October.

My husband got promoted! Yey! But he had to transfer to Libis to get that promotion. The downside is that I get to do a lot of our household chores since the hubby spends more time at work and commute now than before. I experienced how it is to be a real "working mom" but my body felt like giving up. Good thing we were able to find a stay-out maid who significantly made our life easier to manage. I had to make up for all the lost hours of sleep so I still put off blogging.

 

 

As always, I'll try to find a few hours a month to maintain this blog. To be honest, I thought of just deleting my blog. I felt I won't be able to keep this up. I just don't want to be just another blogger who leaves their blog hanging. I hope it won't happen. I have a lot of memories stores in this small cyber space of mine.

Stressed-Out Working Mom

I love myself! In my own unique way, I know that I am beautiful. Part of that confidence is the fact that I always have clear skin. Sure, I had breakouts every now and then, but the as far as I can remember, three is the most number of pimples I had all at the same time. I am thankful for my genes and my daily routine.

Recently, I became more interested in beauty products and makeups since I do not want to look dull and old which I felt at some point after giving birth (post-partum depression?) I got a number of lipsticks and makeups in just a few months. I became obsessed with makeup and who frequently checked Sephora website for the hottest items and sales.

I had less time because of our schedule and I forgot about it for a while. Since my husband started getting morning shifts, I had a difficult time balancing being a mom, a wife, and an employee.  I am not complaining since I love spending time with my son. I am proud that my son learned a lot from me and not from other people (or worst, yaya!) I get to be a hands-on mom.

The only thing that bothered me is my face. Haha! I think being stressed out and tired affected my skin a lot. I developed acne! Yikes! It became evident on my forehead, cheeks, and chin. It doesn't help that my father keeps pointing out the "big pimples" and keep telling me to do sometime about it. As if I am not doing anything! My son also calls them  "moles" and would point and count every blemish on my face. That's a lot! I blamed my husband since I felt he don't help me enough in the house. Later on, I would feel guilty because he is actually doing as much as he can. I know he don't have a choice with his schedule and he urges me to stop doing everything by myself.  

picture from www.buyclearskincream.com

Eventually, I decided to stop thinking about these things. It really doesn't help. I don't stress too much now if our floor is not as shiny as it should be or if the throw pillows are not as neatly stacked on our couch. I am getting better now, I mean my face.  I also eat fruits and salads these days and refrain from eating chocolates. Healthy living muna. I still have four pimples to go (yeah I counted talaga!) but have a lot of pimple marks. Those dark spots that doesn't seem to go away. I'm planning to treat it chemically (diamond peel maybe?) next weekend to get a peace of mind. Hopefully it will clear up my skin and I'll feel confident and happy again.

Organize Freak

I'm back! Boy, did I miss blogging! I have a crappy internet connection at home so I'm testing the blogger apps I have on my iPhone. I like the idea of blogging on the go. I do enjoy facebook and instagram but blogger is still my favorite outlet. I may not be as articulate as I hope to be but nothing beats blogging as a way to express how you feel. That being said, I have been busy with my role as a working mom/wife. My baby is now a toddler. Some say it's the terrible twos, others terrific twos. But what I can say is that yes, it is a handful! Add to that, I need to make sure my family lives in a decent, neat, and functional house. 

The way I see it, I need to organize everything since our small family tends to get a lot of stuff. My husband and son are both messy while I'm a collector. Uhm, not a good combination. So you see, I have been frequent visitor of Ikea online and sm homeworld for the last few weeks. I also have this restless desire to visit Robinson Place Manila to check out Howard Storage. No matter how many storage boxes we buy, I end up needing more. I need boxes for Quino's toys (he gets more and more everyday), old clothes, towels, bedsheets, wedding gifts (we still don't get to use some of them). I'm also not satisfied with how we store our laundry stuff, DVDs, and (would you believe it) storage jars, etc. 

The pictures below are what I have in mind. If any of you saw some of these stuff, would you be kind enough to let me know? ;-)