Family outing at Island Cove (Part 1)

May 02, 2009 - It's the day for our first out-of-town family trip and we've chosen Island Cove in Cavite, Philippines as our destination. You ask why, well, first, it's very near where we live, something like 1 hour to an hour and a half to get there. Second, their Family Fun Package is very affordable and with a lot of freebies. Third, we wanted a place that had a lot of things to do and offer so that the kids won't be bored. Island Cove has them :)

When we got there, we left our baggages and went straight to Animal Island :)

They have a petting zoo,

a butterfly garden,

a tiger sanctuary: THE DADDY
The YOUNGEST at 11 months
the BIGGEST SIBLING, at 3 years old

And the Mama Tiger who we weren't able to photograph because she kept peeing! LOL and believe me they can shower anyone at close range LOL

They also have a lot of birds: OSTRICHES, CASSOWARY, PEACOCKS


Then on to The Crocodile Farm and Monkey Island:


We fed the monkeys and crocodiles too! You have to throw the bananas to the monkeys. Dana tried her hand at it, and the banana fell in the water LOL but clever monkey was able to get it and eat it! LOL


Feeding the crocs was a major experience. You lower a chicken in the water and wait for them to bite. There were 4 crocs in the water and then the alpha male came. In one jump, he got the chicken, took it away to safety and in one gulp swallowed the chicken whole whew!! crazy!! There are a total of 167 crocodiles on the farm, segregated by their age and if they're salt-water or fresh-water crocodiles.


After the tour around the island, we went back to the hotel riding a horse-drawn carriage :)

We took a break for some refreshments and a bit of rest before heading to the Oceania Water Park.

They had two kiddie pools and slides and more adult pools. They also have a pool bar for refreshments. We all had fun, especially in the "jacuzzi" hahaha


Then we had dinner at the Sangley Point Bar and Grill. The food was great!! And then we took advantage of the free 30-minute coupon we had for Island Songs, the KTV Lounge in the Resort hahaha the kids had fun singing so we decided to extend for another hour. Time flies when you're singing and having a really good time!


After all these happenings, we had a great sleep in our airconditioned room. That in itself was a luxury because we didn't have A/C at home hahaha we all woke up late the next morning. but that's for Part 2 :)

DVD Review: The Read And Share™ Bible on DVD

I have found that the best way to see if DVD's for kids are any good is to test them on the kids. Well, I did. Believe me when I say that my kids are DVD addicts. They love watching them and when they like something they have a tendency to watch them repeatedly to the point that they know the soundtracks and dialogue by heart.

When I got this from Thomas Nelson, my kids were so glad to have a new DVD to watch and immediately asked if they can watch it. So we all sat down and started watching. As you can probably surmise, the DVD is a collection of thirteen stories from the Bible. The Stories include: The Beginning, Adam & Eve, The Flood, Abram, Isaac & Rebekah, Jacob & Esau, Rachel, Jacob & God, John the Baptist, Jesus is Born, Jesus is Tempted, Jesus Love Children, and One Lost Sheep. If you haven't told your kids about these stories, then this is a good starting point for you.

They were very much enraptured from the moment the first story came on. Because it's in English, it's easier to understand for them. The narration was subtle, just the right tone for storytelling for kids. The language was also pretty straightforward so kids won't be too overwhelmed if they were to watch the DVD by themselves.

The best part about it is that the stories themselves are very short and quick that works well for kids and their short attention spans. Before they even get bored a new one starts so that's good.

I consider the The Read And Share™ Bible on DVD (Vol. 1) a success because when the DVD was finished, my kids wanted to watch it all over again. :)

Room renovations are done!! woohoo!!!

April 26, 2009 - After about a month of buying, delivery, construction and finishing both the bathroom and the bedroom are done!!! YEAH BABY!!!

Just to give you a recap, it all started when we decided to replace the old and install the new windows in the bedroom. This bedroom used to be a space for all our junk but we had to fix everything up when the nanny arrived. Fast forward, the nanny left, we had new windows but my cabinet broke and we wanted customized cabinets, hence the construction of the bathroom (which has lain dormant for all the time that the house was constructed. It was never completed) and the renovation of the existing & adjoining bedroom. We tapped my cousin who has his own construction firm (Ramil Roque Construction) to do the job. He designed the layout, we discussed the materials and finally construction started. As a little promotion, you may want to email me here if you want to contact him if you're in the market for some repairs, renovation, construction and all that :)

So, you want to see pictures, who am I to disappoint you hahahaha

Before pictures:






After pictures:









Having fun


It took a little over a month for the project to be completed. It was stressful but worth it. It was expensive but worth it. The workers really did a great job, they were worth it! We Love It!!

I'm sure my Mom would love it too.

Dana Aces her Entrance Exam!!

Over the course of the previous days, we have spent them preoccupied with the room renovations - buying the materials, watching them lay the fixtures and tiles, painting the room and cabinets - that sometimes our heads are spinning with all that's happening.

But the good news is that Dana aced her entrance exam! I have posted a while back about the search for a school. Patrick and I have decided that our priority is somewhere close so that the kids won't be tired from the travel as early as this. So, we thought that maybe Sta. Catalina College may be a good choice because that's where I'm from and so with all my siblings and cousins. Even Den graduated from there. There's also the added plus that they still know me and my family so that's something good going for Dana (we think). In terms of standards, they're still pretty high because if not, then Den wouldn't have been able to pass her entrance exam to UST before.

Anyway, Dana went with her Ate Den to the school because it was raining and I didn't want to bring Dylan out too. So, they were just supposed to submit the requirements to the school so that they'll be able to schedule her for an entrance exam. But to my surprise, Den sent me a text message saying that Dana was already taking her exam!!! I was so nervous for her but at the same time I was confident too, pretty confusing, huh? ahhahaha An hour passed and I called Den, asking why there's no update yet. It turned out that while they were checking Dana's paper, she remained inside the room playing with the other teachers there and she was talking to them too hahaha

When they finished checking, she got 92/100!!! and they were all surprised because she was one of the highest and she was more advanced than those who have had previous schooling experience. They'll place her in Kinder 2 (which is still Prep), but she skipped Kinder 1 already. When Den started out, she had to pass Kinder 1 because of age requirements.

Anyway, just wanted to share this milestone in Dana's life.. Now, it's just a matter of paying the tuition and buying the school stuff :)