June 26, 2010

Joaqui at Nursery


Joaqui started Nursery school last Wednesday and we were much more excited than him. ; ) He was a little anxious at first but because it was the same school as the summer camp he had attended, he settled in quite easily. It was also a little emotional for us as parents because sending him to school is like the first real step in letting him go, grow and explore the world around him. Hubby and I were reminiscing about the time he was just a baby and now he is in school. I was also busy preparing his school materials, putting plastic covers and name tags on his books, and making a box of toiletries to be left in school (this contains extra shirt, extra underwear, powder, alcohol, etc.) I am also in the quest of creating a healthy lunch box or snack box for him and putting them together as a bento.


I was telling hubby I was wondering how Joaqui would fare in school, but more than that I really want him to have fun and enjoy it as much as he could.


June 21, 2010

Father's Day Gift

Father's Day is over and I guess a lot of Dads got something as a gift from their wife and their children. A lot of the restaurants last Sunday were crowded and I guess it shows how fathers are given importance here in our country. I got hubby a shirt from Team Manila and he really liked it. If I can afford it, I would have gotten him billet grilles for the car. He would follow me to the ends of the earth if I gave him those! Men like to pimp their rides and billet grilles just make any car look more attractive and bolder.

It was also a good thing that we got confused by the dates and celebrated Father's Day a week earlier because of the crowd in many of the restaurants, it was difficult to find a good table. We also got to visit my father-in-law's grave at the cemetery, and there were also quite a number of people who were there for the Father's Day.

I also discovered a book at my mother-in-law's house entitled "101 Ways to Spoil your Husband" and it was very timely indeed. I think I will try some of those tips suggested in the book because hubby deserves to be spoiled and it doesn't take a lot for men to be happy. God made men simple because women are already complicated. : )


June 18, 2010

Mommy Moments - Daddy Moments

mommy moments

The spotlight is on daddies for this month of June at Mommy Moments and since Father's Day will be this Sunday, I will be sharing some of Joaqui's precious moments with his Daddy.

Daddy and Joaqui loves to play. When Joaqui wants to fly like Superman, it's Daddy who lets him fly. If he wants to crawl like Spiderman, it's called Daddy playtime. In this picture, Joaqui was pretending to be a carpenter, so when we went to Daddy's office and Joaqui saw the ladder, he asked his Dad to help him go up the ladder and then he "fixes" him like one of his cranes.


I like watching the two of them do things together. This was when we went to Nuvali and hubby helped Joaqui feed the fishes.


Hubby is one very special Dad because he makes it a point to be there for Joaqui always - doctor's appointments, birthday parties, special occasions, first day at a school summer camp, etc. and although he does not say much, his actions speak loud of how he loves us and takes care of us.



Joaqui is blessed to have a father as loving and caring as you. Happy Father's Day Daddy! We love you!


June 14, 2010

Father's Day celebration in advance

It was an honest mistake. I really thought that Father's Day this year was June 13. I had it mixed up and thinking of it, that was I thought that nobody was sending greetings of Happy Father's Day yet because it was supposed to be on June 20. Anyway, we proceeded with our advanced Father's Day Celebration by making reservations at Isabelo Garden Restaurant in Marikina. Hubby heard some raves about this private dining by Isabelo and when I got to read the post by Our Awesome Planet, I made reservations for June 13, for a Father's Day Celebration. I sent an email to Ms. Portia, the passionate cook behind Isabelo, and she sent us a map, the directions and a list of their best sellers and prices.

It was raining hard while we were driving to Marikina and we almost missed the restaurant because there was no sign outside their gate. When we got inside the gate, there was an ancestral house with sprawl of old trees and plants. There were tables set up, decorations of hanging bottles, potted plants and a smell of something good cooking inside the kitchen.

We pre-ordered the Orange Herb Chicken, Quatro Formaggio Pizza and Parmigiano Carbonara.

This is the Orange Herb Chicken, which according to Ms. Portia was cooked for two hours! It was moist and flavorful with a subtle hint of the herbs and orange. It comes with vegetables like marble potatoes, carrots and squash.


This was not in our original list, but our waiter asked if we would like their available appetizer, which is the Spinach Artichoke Dip. This was the dish that started it all. It was really creamy and goes very well with the crunchiness of the bread.


This is the Parmigiano Carbonara, which is not like the usual carbonara that we've tried. The creaminess is not overpowering and we can really taste the flavor of the ham and the Parmigiano cheese. It's also olive oil based.


The Quatro Formaggio pizza is a must try. The dough is homemade and cooked grilled, so it is crunchy on the outside but still chewy on the inside. From the smell of it, we can really tell that the Mozzarella used was fresh, including the tomatoes on the sauce.


After our main feast, we ordered Watermelon Sorbet, which is just the right ending to our wonderful meal. The homey ambiance at Isabelo is a perfect scenery for the excellent food that they serve. We also got to meet Ms. Portia when she visited us at our table. Overall, it was really a nice family dinner for us as we celebrated Father's Day.

Note: All pictures above were taken by hubby. ; )


June 7, 2010

PBW 7: Celebrations

Pixel Bug weekend button 1


Our weekend was hectic because in one day, we had to attend two celebrations at two different places - a baptism held in Quezon City and a birthday party held in Pasig City.

Bella, one of hubby's nieces from his cousin, was baptized into the Catholic faith.


Bella with her god parents. This was at the Twin Hearts of Jesus and Mary Church.


After a lunch at Jade Valley Restaurant, we went to McDonald's El Pueblo in Pasig City to attend a 7th birthday party. Joaqui played and joined the games. He skipped his afternoon nap because of these two celebrations, so he was really tired by the time the party ended.

Weekends are also a time for celebrations of life's big events and I'm happy to be part of these. Hope you had a weekend worth celebrating. ; )


June 3, 2010

are you a certified shoe addict?


Then you should join VNC's Ode to Shoes (Anything and Everything About Shoes) and get a chance to win a new pair of shoes every month for 12 months! Here's how:

* Create a work of art that best represents the theme. Artwork must be done through Adobe Photoshop and must measure 5” (L) x 6.5” (H). File should be submitted in hi-resolution PSD (non-flattened image). Entries not submitted in the said format will be disregarded.

* Submit your work of art in CD format through any VNC outlet or email via vnc@paradigmimage.com. Don’t forget to write your full name, complete address, mobile number and email address.

* Ten (10) entries will be pre-selected for the final judging based on the criteria below. These 10 entries will be posted on our Facebook fan page at http://facebook.com/vncphilippines.
25% : understanding of VNC as a brand
25% : adherence to the theme
25% : creativity and originality
25% : audience vote

* The winning artwork will be used as the cover photo of our upcoming notebook promo in October 2010. The artist of this winning entry will also receive a 1-year supply of shoes (12 pairs of shoes, 1 free pair per month).

* To vote for an entry, you must become a fan of VNC Philippines on Facebook. Leave a comment on an entry explaining why you think it deserves to win. This comment serves as your vote. You are allowed only one (1) vote per entry. Ten (10) fans who voted the winning entry will also get a chance to take home one (1) free pair.

* All prizes are transferrable but not convertible to cash.

* Promo period is from May 15, 2010 - July 30, 2010. Based on the timeline below, the deadline to submit all official entries via email or CD is on June 30, 2010.
MAY 15, 2010 - JUNE 30, 2010 : period to submit artwork
JULY 02, 2010 - JULY 23, 2010 : period of online voting
JULY 30, 2010 : announcement of winners

* Winners will be informed via email and a list will be posted on http://facebook.com/vncphilippines They are required to respond to the email to inform VNC their preferred outlet from which they will claim their prize. The winners should claim their prize within 60 days from receipt of notification, otherwise the prize will be forfeited in favor of VNC-Paradigm Image, Inc. with prior approval of DTI.

* All entries will be considered property of VNC-Paradigm Image, Inc. and may be used for announcements or marketing purposes by VNC.

* The prize may be claimed at the winners’ preferred outlet.

* Winners must present the following to the authorized VNC representative when claiming the prize:
One valid ID with complete full name, picture and correct address
Photocopies of any of the documents (ie. birth certificate, marriage contract, SSS ID, driver’s license, school ID)
notice sent by email