How to make a Christmas Parol

Let's face it, I'm not really talented with arts and crafts nor do I have any interest in making them.  But sometimes, for the sake of your children you have to do things that you just gotta do hehehe  One of these things include making a Christmas Parol for Dylan's project in school.  It's supposed to be a bonding moment type of project, which I adamantly opposed during a PTA meeting because I knew Dylan wouldn't be participating in it (really!), but I was overruled hehehe  So, I was wracking my brains figuring out how to make one and even resorted to searching through youtube for instructional videos on how to make it.

The first step is finding the materials before you can even begin.  For this project, we were told to use native materials like coconut and corn husks and not recyclable materials (which we used last year).  I really had no idea how to begin so I asked my aunt for suggestions.  She told me to head over to Quiapo's Quinta Market and maybe I'll find inspiration there.  It just so happened that I had a lot of work to finish so I asked Den and Erghie to just buy the materials which they think may be suitable and we'll go from there.  When they got back, they were able to buy a Christmas parol frame (let's be honest, I can never make that one by myself hehehe) and some native materials.  It took us a week to really think about how to put the materials together LOL

Step 1:  We covered the inner frame with some red ribbon so it won't stand out.  Obviously, Dylan is more interested in playing with the ribbons rather than looping them around the frame :)

Step 2:  We used a glue gun to stick the "abaca" (I'm not really sure what the material is but it looked native) onto the "triangle" portions of the frame.  Dylan tried his hand with the glue gun.  At first, he was skeptical when he learned that it was a glue "gun".  He said, Mama don't kill me with that gun LOL

Untrimmed frame

Trimmed Frame

Step 3:  We put in a green native material to contrast with the brown, right in the middle of the frame just to keep things simple.  Then lined the edges with glittery red ribbon.  At first, we even ran out of the ribbon so we had to continue the next day.  We also ran out of glue sticks which meant another delay.

Step 4:  We glued some shells on strings and attached them to the bottom of the frame so that they'll swing.  We didn't know how to make the usual fringes in the regular Filipino Christmas parol so we "innovated" hehehe  We also wrapped some gold ribbon around the "points" of the star to conceal the points of the frame.

Almost finished product

Step 5:  The kids then proceeded to stick the sea shells onto the outline of the center of the star.  They each took turns and we finished in no time :)  The parol is now hanging from the middle of our living room hahaha Dylan has also gone territorial on it and keeps calling it His Star :)

Finished product

Of Toys and Willy Wonka (Part 2)

So the previous post mentioned that we went to the Richwell Warehouse sale where we bought a lot of stuff.  Well, we had to go back the next day because the shoes we bought for Dana were a tad small so we wanted to exchange them for a pair that fit better.

When we got there, this time we brought the kids with us so that we're sure the shoes will really fit right, the shoes we bought yesterday were sold out! LOL  We had to find another pair for the same price!  It was okay because now, there were new stocks as well and we were able to buy a newer pair than the one we originally bought. ;)  This time, I was also astounded at the way the mommies were behaving.  I have never seen a "human feeding frenzy" before and this was the place where I saw it first hand.

To explain, the sales clerks would bring in these huge boxes filled with new stocks of shoes.  They'd dump these into the boxes in the shoes section of the warehouse.  Mommies will immediately dive in (literally!) and come up with mismatched pairs of shoes and then sort them out later when they've determined that these shoes are not the ones they want LOL It's really fun and fascinating to watch LOL I probably would do the same since these pairs were going for P100 and that's really cheap, mind you! :)

Once we got the pair of shoes for Dana, Patrick and I decided to bring Dana and Dylan to the Willy Wonka Imaginarium at the Shangri-la Plaza Mall. Knowing how much they love Willy Wonka from the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, we thought this was a good way to end the day.  With a P100 purchase of any Willy Wonka candy from the Candy Corner store in the exhibit, you earn a Golden Ticket which serves as your key to entering the magical place.  The kids got crazy with all the candy, like Nerds, Laffy Taffy and the Pixy Stix :)  Once we got our tickets, we went in :)

A Giant Bug

The Magical Door

The Giant Tree 

Giant Mushrooms

Giant Ant and the Ant Bully

They were both amazed and excited and the couldn't stop talking about what went on when they went inside.  It was worth the trip! :)

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