Of Toys and Willy Wonka (Part 1)

Like most working couples, you can only schedule a trip for toy hunting, bargains and sales when you have received part of all of your Christmas bonus and your salary and hope to God that there are sales scheduled when you do.  We were fortunate enough that during the weekend that we got some windfall of sorts, there were great bargains that we took part in.

On Saturday, December 3, Patrick and I headed to the Toy Warehouse Sale in Sct. Torillo, Quezon City.  It is actually the warehouse for the Mattel brand of toys and they're selling off their excess inventory at prices up to 80% off!  So, it's really a great deal considering you're getting branded toys for less than what you would pay in the malls :)  I didn't really know what to expect since this was the first time I was headed there so I was keeping an open mind.

The place wasn't really huge, around 1000 square meters but it's air conditioned so it's pretty comfortable.  There were toys for infants, toys for the big kids, some baby stuff like sterilizers and bottles, some MyScene and Ollie shoes for the bigger kids, Barbie, Hot Wheels and Pokemon shoes for the smaller kids, bikes Disney toys (both stock and new arrivals) and a whole lot more.

We were able to pick out great finds during our first day and Patrick went ga-ga over the Lightning McQueen series of die cast toys and was able to purchase 4 of them - Lightning McQueen, Franco Bernoulli, Holly Shiftwell and Mater!  I went crazy over the shoes that were selling for P100/pair!! and some school shoes, they were selling for 3 for P100!! I was stupefied to say the least! LOL  We really had to stop at some point when we reached our quota for the kids' Christmas gifts hahahaha

We then went to the Mall of Asia to see if we can check out great finds at the Mega Shoes and Bags sale at the SMX Convention hall.  OMG! That's all I can say hahaha

I was already super excited even before we entered but when I got in woohoo! Shoes, Shoes, Shoes!! It was like an Imelda Marcos moment hahaha If I had that feeling, make that a hundred times more for Patrick who was crazier for shoes than I.

It wasn't difficult to go around even though it was jam-packed with crowds.  The shoes were sorted according to brand and then by size so you can immediately go to your favorite brands and see what models they have that are available in your size.  It saves on having to ask the sales clerks repeatedly for your size.  The sad thing is if you've got an average shoe size, there's a high possibility that the style that you want may be out of stock especially if you haven't gotten there at the earliest opportunity.  But since there were so many shoe styles to look at, I'm sure there will be at least one pair that you'll end up with.  Here, Patrick and I were able to buy much needed shoes for ourselves.  When you have kids, you usually have to sacrifice your own wants to provide for your kids first.  So, this opportunity was heaven sent.  I got a pair of Keds (my fave!) and Patrick was able to buy his Asics rubber shoes.  :)

At the same venue, just next door was the Toy Kingdom Christmas sale.  We couldn't resist so we took a peek.  Fortunately (for us) the lines were too long which served as a deterrent for us to purchase any more stuff LOL

We ended our day with dinner at Mexicali :>)  We purposely went home late so we can sneak the gifts in and store them where the kids can't find them hehehe

Tasting "The Real Thing"

We're always happy when there are holidays when Patrick also has no work.  This time, because there's no work on November 30, we scheduled a day of pampering for us girls so Dana, Den and I went out and got our haircuts :)  Patrick also got his and Dylan felt kinda left out because he's the only one who didn't get a hair cut because his hair was still short LOL

Here's a picture of Dana with her hair all straightened out because of blowdrying :)  I really like it when she has her hair this short :)



After the salon and the barber shop, we were scouting around for a place to have dinner at.  Patrick suggested that we try out "The Real Thing Diner" along Tomas Morato in Quezon City.  It's a restaurant with most of their food products made with Coca-Cola :) There are also a lot of Coca-Cola memorabilia displayed on the walls and on stands :)

Check out these mugs and collectibles:

Check out their cool ambience!

There's Den sporting her new hairdo!

We ordered the Onion Rings Tower P149

Dana ordered the Carbonara P179

Cheesy Backyard Burger P189

Coca-Cola Salpicao P199

Cheesy Backyard Burger (to show the cheese)

Over-all, we enjoyed the food.  I especially like the Coca-cola salpicao and am actually wondering about the recipe :)  The service was fast and efficient and our server was pleasant and enthusiastic :)

17th Anniversary spent with Chevrolet haha

I've always been a simple person.  So when Patrick tells me that we're just going to the Mall of Asia for our 17th Anniversary, that's fine by me.  Any excuse to get out of the house will do hahaha As long as the kids are with us and we're happy to be together then all is fine with life :)

So that Sunday, Patrick said he had to go to MOA to check out the Chevrolet exhibit there.  So, off we went.

Lots of opportunities for picture taking with the kids.  For instance, here they are with "Bumblebee"

Here they are with the Chevrolet Spark :)

Bumblebee's mags are cool! 

Check out these cool Chevrolet furniture hehehehe

Dylan's UN Day

In celebration of United Nations Day, most schools in the country hold extra-curricular activities for the kids to enjoy.  One such example is dressing up in costumes for UN Day.  This time, Dylan  was assigned "Germany" as his country.

It is at this point that I appreciate living in Sampaloc haha because our house is so near Quiapo where you can get the costumes for most countries in a snap.  I never thought of looking for costumes at the malls because they simply would be too expensive and not all countries are represented anyway.

Patrick and I dropped by Echague Street, now Carlos Palanca in Quiapo, very near the Quinta Market and just before the famous Excelente Ham store :)  There were a lot of parents and kids trying on their respective costumes too.  It was a madhouse! :)


It was hot.  It was tight.  But we persevere because we needed to!  In the end, we were able to buy Dylan his Germany costume.  I was thinking it would be like a lederhosen or something hehhe  The store also had flags to complement the outfit but we got Dylan's Germany flag when we went to the Philippine-Germany expo in Bonifacio High Street a week before hahaha nice timing, actually!

They held a parade around the streets of Sampaloc, sporting their costumes and waving their flags!

When they reached the venue for their program, the kids were tired and sweaty but still had a lot of enthusiasm!  There were some dance numbers and other activities, but for me, the highlight of the program was when Dylan went on stage and recited his spiel.  We practiced it for a long time and I'm so proud of him!

Another baby on the way --->

And no, it's not mine! hahaha No, it's going to be Den's.  

October 25 is that landmark day when I found out that my 20-year old niece is going to have a baby.  I was so busy with another person's kid that I totally neglected to observe that my very own niece, who's living in the same house as I, is pregnant.  Imagine my surprise and consternation when I noticed that her tummy was kinda big that you can't mistake it for simply being full from food.

Not wanting to confront her immediately, I just made a joke hoping that she'll bite.  But she just made a noncommittal shrug which inflamed my suspicions even more.  Then I started counting back and checking how fast we ran out of sanitary pads as I kept racking my brain for signs of pregnancy that I didn't see.  See, if her tummy was already showing then that meant that it was in the 2nd trimester already and I totally missed the first trimester!  And that's when I realized that I must have been so preoccupied with the Boy Who Will Not Be Named that I didn't notice her pregnancy signs.

So, that night, Patrick and I asked her straight on.  Her answer was, "Kailangan pa bang itanong yan?" which roughly translates to "Do you even need to ask?"  I was really pissed at the answer.  Here we were, asking politely and nicely and that's the reply we got.  I think she was being an ass to cover her real feelings as teenagers are wont to do.  But then the truth was out.  She was pregnant and going on 5 months.

Needless to say, my world collapsed.  I wanted her to finish college (she had a semester to go for crying out loud!).  I wanted her to enjoy her life as a single person.  I wanted her to travel.  I wanted her to make more out of herself before she even had to THINK about having a baby...

What was the point of our talks about pills and condoms and all those irresponsible parents littering the streets with their offspring?!  They're becoming one of them!  I was so frustrated that they didn't use their heads.  I was so frustrated that they didn't protect themselves.  I wanted to strangle the boyfriend for not using birth control.  I wanted to strangle Den for not insisting that the boyfriend use protection!

Naturally, the first reaction would be surprise, then shock, then anger, then acceptance.  For both my sister (her mother) and I, it was rather easy because of the maternal instincts for the baby kicking in.  We had to make sure that the baby was safe and healthy.  For the men in our lives, it was really anger that's the reigning emotion.    Saying they were pissed off was an understatement.  They wanted to meet with the boyfriend and his family ASAP.  At the time of writing, that hasn't happened yet.

I don't think I will truly get over the regret and the frustration but all I can do right now is provide the support she needs because stress is not good for the baby.  I have told her that she needs to finish her last semester so she'll have a better opportunity even after the baby is born.   

Dana's School Halloween Party

On the 20th of October, Dana had her first school Halloween Party.  I was worried when they announced it and notified parents via letter because it only meant that more expenses will have to be set aside to accommodate the budget for her costume.  Trust me, when you're in dire straits when it comes to finances, like we have been for the past months, you really begin to question all these school parties hehehe

But I'm very lucky that my HS friend, Gicel, was able to lend me her daughter's Princess Jasmine costume for Dana to wear :)  Thanks a lot, Gicel! :)

So here she is, together with Dylan who just put on his Spiderman clothes and mask :))



They had a costume contest and as you can see Dana was #60! all the kids who came in costume registered for the contest so that took a while to judge.  It was funny because there were a lot of witches which I thought would be banned haha but even the parents were wearing costumes!! She liked the one like 3D art in the last row of pictures :)   Her teacher was dressed like Jang-Geum of a Koreanovela :D

Dylan's Kindergarten Field Trip

Sept. 14, 2011 - It's that time once again when Dylan sets off on another field trip.  This time they're heading to Lucky Me (the noodle factory), Paradizoo (an animal farm/zoo) and Tagaytay Picnic Grove (for rest and relaxation).  As you can see, Dylan is excited to be on their way.  

Their first stop was the Lucky Me Noodle Factory but we weren't allowed to take pictures because of security reasons.  This part of the trip would have been more interesting if we had more time to really listen to the tour.  Instead, the tour went by so fast it was like the staff were more interested in just breezing through with their spiels and such.  The kids couldn't really pay attention and they can't really see over the windows in the factory.  I had to really focus to hear the tour guide explain the process of making the noodles and packing them and such.  In turn, it was I who had to explain to Dylan.  I guess there were a lot of schools scheduled too so they had to hurry us up.  This was the only photo allowed, taken by their staff after a quick run through of the factory.  

After the Lucky Me Factory, we went to Paradizoo Ranch in Mendez, Cavite.  There were a lot of chances for taking pictures because there were a number of different animals that Dylan went a little crazy going after them :)  There was a white carabao, a black carabao, a camel, horses, foreign goats and sheep, butterflies and bees.  Here are some pictures. It was raining hard some of the time which was hard for the kids but it was otherwise a fun trip.  

The last stop was the Tagaytay Picnic Grove.  This was where we had our lunch overlooking Taal Volcano. The kids breezed through their lunch and just ran around in the grass.  Dylan was also fortunate to have been able to ride a horse.  One of his classmates who originally bought the ticket became scared of the horse so he backed out.  Dylan was given the ticket instead :)  Thanks! :D

 Needless to say, all the kids were tired and pooped out during the drive home :)

Teacher Dory died so suddenly

We were faced with a mighty blow when we found out that Teacher Dory was dead.  We found out only on the morning of Dylan's exams.  We were walking on the way to school when Dylan's classmate's mom called out to us from their house.  Apparently, classes were suspended because Teacher Dory died.  This was such a shock to learn because we didn't even know she was sick or having any medical problems.

I was just in shock because it was such a loss, to Dylan, to me and of course, to the school.  You see, Teacher Dory reminds me of my mom.  They were both exemplary teachers really living the vocation of teaching.  When I say vocation, I really mean it because they really epitomized what teaching was all about.  It's about helping students learn.  It's about expending all your energy to make sure that your students are improving and that you'll waste no time in getting them to stay on their course.  It's about putting aside your own financial troubles and physical problems aside to take on students whom you believe need your help more.

Dylan blossomed under Teacher Dory's care.  Of course, the other teachers in the school helped out a lot but Teacher Dory was the driving force.  She knew how to motivate the kids.  She knew how to scold parents.  She knew how to inspire her teachers.  She's a light to everyone.

To Teacher Dory, you will surely be missed but your influence over my son will not be forgotten.  I salute you for your love of teaching.  I wish there more of you to go around :)

Rhys' second and final month with us

In my previous post, I talked about Rhys' first month with us.  Here now is my account of his 2nd and final month (July 2 - August 6) with us.

As I look back on his last month with us, I remember that his behavior was escalating to the point that he was becoming unruly and undisciplined.  It's probably because he's beginning to realize that his mom was not taking him back and that his being with us isn't a vacation but an actual transfer.  He realizes that his mom doesn't exactly show him enough love because he comments about the fact that the things I do with Dana and Dylan he doesn't experience with his mom.  He also has had to face ugly facts about his life - like Jericho not being his real dad and that he doesn't actually know who his real dad is except for his name.  He also keeps on looking at the kids' photo albums which document most of their childhood, something that he doesn't have, the physical photos, not the childhood.

So I can understand the reasons for his acting up.  However, things are being aggravated by the fact that his mom has up to this time refused to give her financial contribution to us - something that we're also desperately in need of because, to be honest, we aren't exactly rolling in money and, let's face it, an added mouth to feed really needs additional finances.  It's also what the siblings have agreed upon so...

Things kind of came to a head on July 16th, when we had to take him back to his mom because he and I had a showdown.  While he's here, I would supervise his and Dylan's homework and I noticed that Ate Mel was getting really frustrated with him because he wasn't paying attention.  Ate Mel can't teach Dylan until Rhys was finished and it was taking them a long time.  When I took over the study session, he was supposed to memorize our address for an oral exam in school.  It took him 5 hours before he actually did it.  It was just too much.  I will no longer go into the details but I tried every sort of technique to get him to memorize but it wasn't getting into his head.  My son who had a speech problem was able to memorize the address faster than him and that's saying a lot!  Needless to say, I had frayed nerves and that kind of behavior extended over up to the next day and Patrick was here at that time and he observed how Rhys was and it was he who decided that the stress levels in the house were going through the roof and that it was time for the family to take a break from him.

He stayed with Stevie and Toni from July 18 to July 21.  He had to return to our house because Friday, he had an ID Picture taking for school.  On Monday (July 18), I had to go to his school to ask Teacher Dory for some patience because we still hadn't paid for Rhys' school. While Rhys was with Stevie and Toni, Patrick talked with Dimples about her plans for her son.  Apparently, she was planning on moving to a new apartment and not taking into consideration that her son will have to travel far to get to his school.  Her solution, that he stop schooling.  Our original recommendation was for her to find an apartment somewhere closer to where her son goes to school, so she can still have someone caring for him while she's working and that she can take Rhys back when she comes back from work, preferably that she also get a day shift, for both their sake.

Rhys returned Friday but spent the weekend with her mom and Jericho.  This struck me funny because it was supposed to be just the two of them.  Bringing Jericho back into the equation makes me think that she needed someone else to take care of her son.  Anyway, it turned out that making him spend time with his mom backfired because after that, he was just crying non-stop everyday.  No matter how many times I explain to him, he will just cry and cry the whole day, even while in school.  He was also very disruptive in class requiring Teacher Dory to put him a bit further away from his classmates.  His situation was aggravated too when Dimples was supposed to pick him up for lunch during the weekend (July 31) but she arrived late in the afternoon.  She also didn't want to pay the full amount of P5K for the month of June until Patrick left her no choice so she complied.

On Monday, I was able to pay the school from the money that she gave.  All through the week, Rhys was just crying although to be honest, after his talk with Erghie about remembering his mom even while she wasn't here helped a little.  When Dimples was here that Sunday, she mentioned that she's hiring a babysitter to look after Rhys in their apartment which meant that she'll be getting Rhys by Friday.  Unfortunately, the yaya didn't arrive as planned but we felt that it was a blessing in disguise.  It meant that she would be able to take care of her son by herself so on Saturday, we brought Rhys back with her for good.

It was a relief to have him gone from our lives.  Peace settled in.  It's unfortunate though that she didn't continue his education.  At first, I was worried but I let it go.  It wasn't my responsibility anymore.  If she doesn't want to sacrifice her easygoing ways and focus on raising her kid right, that's her problem not mine.  She hasn't even paid for her financial support for July.  Enough said on that...

Goodbye and Good Riddance!