Food Trippin' with Kids

My husband and I love to eat. Obvious naman sa mga katawan namin di ba? Haha! We love to try new restaurants. Tipong dadayuhin talaga namin yan kahit san lupalop pa man basta matikman lang namin. Ganyan kami ever since na mag-BF-GF pa kami.

Before, napakadali pumunta kahit saan. Walang ka-stress stress. Malalasap at ma-eenjoy mo talaga ang food at tipong mabibigyan mo talaga ng tamang judgment.

Pero ngayon, sobrang CHAOTIC and STRESSFUL! Imagine us, with 4 kids. 3 boys and 1 girl. Tapos lahat 6 and under. Haaayyy buhay talaga. 

Do you want to picture it?

- Messy table

- Food everywhere

- Utensils falling on the floor

- Drinking water / Beverages spilling

- Noisy kids

- Kids fighting over some petty things

- Kids moving and running around

- Changing moods of children

- Kids throwing things

- and many more...

As a result, hindi na namin ma-enjoy ang pag-food trip. Nandiyan yung namaster na namin ang pagkain with one hand (if there's no high chair), yung mamadaliin mo na ang pagkain para matapos na at makaalis na kaagad and yung feeling na instead na ma-satisfy ka sa pagkain ay yung napagod ka lang. Kaya minsan talaga mas gugustuhin na lang namin ang kumain sa bahay.

Hindi ko alam ha, minsan naman ok ang pagdine-out namin. Pero minsan talaga super to the max ang gulo. 

Sa aking pag-assess, may mga factors din siguro na nakaka-affect ng behavior ng kids. Like kapag sleeping time na nila (around 3pm and around 9pm). Mga kids kasi namin, hindi nagtotopak kapag inaantok. Ang senyales ng pagkaantok nila is nagiging hyper sila masyado. Another factor is the restaurant's ambiance. Kapag medyo maingay at magulo ang place, magulo din sila. Lastly, if pagod din sila, it's either nagiging hyper or tinotopak sila.

Though nakaka-stress, wala naman kaming choice di ba? Haha! Pero part na yan ng aming life as parents. I'm sure na mamimiss namin ang stressful and chaotic food trippin' namin with our kids when they grow up. =)

Food Trip: Container Turf

Last night, we decided to eat at Container Turf. Na-curious kasi kami eh, so gusto namin ma-try sabay maki-usi. Haha!

It is located inside BF Paranaque, along Aguirre street. It is a new establishment kaya marami ang taong pumupunta. Maswerte lang kami kanina dahil may parking na available. Plus na rin na may kids kaming kasama kaya binigyan kami ng priority ng parking attendant. Limited ang capacity ng parking area nila so swertihan lang talaga. Pero ang alam ko right now, may partner establishment sila na pwede kang magpark tapos may free shuttle sila. O di ba, bongga?

So here is the facade of Container Turf... basically, mga container siya na pinaganda ang setup...

Parking area...

Here are some pictures that I took inside...

1st floor...

Second Floor...

Meron pa silang veranda area eh. Pero I didn't go there na kasi umuulan.

Anyway, remember Street Life? Parang ganun siya dahil maraming food stalls inside pero minus the passport. Aside sa mga food stalls, masasabi mo rin na gimikan siya (Sorry for the term, tita na kasi ako eh, gimikan kasi ang tawag namin before. Hahaha!). Ang daming mga bagets! Naalala ko tuloy nung kabataan ko. Haha!

With the food choices, hindi siya yung tipikal na pang-real meal. Ummm... Real meal? Yung kanin levels ba. Feeling ko kasi more on pica pica  halos ang choices ng food na pang-match sa alcoholic beverages eh. Buti na lang at may Italian food stall, at kung hindi todas na naman kami sa mga kulilits.

Here are the food that we ate last night...

We got Four Cheese Pizza and Ayan's Carbonara form Ayan's Food Stall...

Chicken Potato Volcano from Tyler's Food Hub...

Ebi Tempura from Tokyo Tempura Unlimited...

Hash Brown Sandwich from Zig-Ah-Zig (complimentary from the owner who happens to be my schoolmate) =)

Chicken Wings and Bagnet Rice from Bagwings...

Got this Bubble Waffle from Bubble Wraps...

Pricewise, some food are reasonably priced and some are not. Pero generally for me, reasonable naman. Ang labo ba? Haha! Eto na lang para medyo clear... For the 6 items that we ordered, we spent around P1,250.00. Ang hindi lang talaga matanggap tanggap ng asawa ko ay yung inorder niya na Chicken Wings and Bagnet Rice. Yung P200.00 daw, 2 chicken wings lang, kapirasong bagnet and mukhang wala pa raw atang 1 cup yung rice plus hindi pa raw masarap, lasang Tupperware daw yung Chicken. Sobrang di worth it daw. Sana nag-burrito or nagshawarma na lang daw siya.

Siya nga pala, isa lang ang stall na nagtitinda ng drinks. Medyo mahalia ang mga drinks ha. For instance, yung bottled water is P50.00 and yung isang fishbowl ng iced tea is P180.00. Dahil makunat kami, sa Ministop na lang kami bumili ng drink after namin kumain. Bawal kasi magdala ng outside food and drinks sa loob eh.

For the taste, pasado naman sa panlasa namin. Naubos namin eh. Hahaha! Except, of course, sa order ni hubby na sobrang pinagsisisihan niya.

If you were to ask me if babalikan pa namin ito, I'm really not sure. Parang kasi tama na ang na-experience namin ito. Feeling ko kasi, hindi pang-family ang ambiance, more on pang-bagets siya... gimikan ba... or hang-out... Pero if you just love to try new and unique food, ok naman ang place since maraming food na kakaiba.

So that's our experience at Container Turf! =)

Gastos na Naman

Kahit anong iwas mo talaga sa gastos, kusang lumalapit ito ano?

This morning, sa lahat naman talaga ng masisira, yung telephone shower pa. And guess who broke it? 

... Oh yes... Mr. Roy Christoff a.k.a. Cheryll Jr. (Mana raw sa akin sa kalikutan at pagiging destructive! Hahaha!)

How did it happen?

Well, while Chris and Christoff were taking a bath this morning, napikon itong si Christoff sa kuya niya kaya hinagis ang telephone shower sa floor. So I went inside the bathroom...

Me: What happened?

Chris: Christoff, wants to go out the bath area and he doesn't want me to wet him.

Me: Then?

Chris: Then he threw this... (showing the telephone shower)

Me: Christoff, how many times did I tell you to stop throwing things whenever you feel bad? Look at this, what if you broke this? We need to spend again just to fix this right?

Then, when I turned on the water, water came out of the handle too. All the while, I thought the connection was just loose. May padrama drama at mega-explanation pa ako na what if kung nasira niya... Yun pala, basag na talaga!

Oh my Roy talaga! Kamot ulo na lang ako...

Piso Piso

Teaching Filipino is kinda challenging to my kids. As in effort to the max! Their mother tongue kasi is English. Ewan ko ba at bakit mga naging Inglisero ang mga yan. Bigla na lang nung lumaki, nag-E-English kaya kinausap na rin namin ng English. Haha!

Anyway, hinayaan na lang namin that they speak English. First, kapag lumaki naman sila, English naman talaga ang ginagamit sa conversation sa business or professional world di ba? Second, in terms of subject in school, isa lang naman ang Filipino subject and the rest of the subjects English ang means ng pagturo. Third, I think madali lang naman matutunan ang Filipino language specially if they hear us talk it.

Going back sa pagtuturo...

With all of the subjects, ang dali nilang turuan. Very attentive and kaya namin ng take 1 lang ang isang topic. Kaya naman ang bilis ng phasing namin. When it comes to Filipino subject, ayan na... Naghihikab na ang mga yan. They find it boring. Haaayyysstt... Pero, in fairness naman sa mga anak ko, kapag itinuro mo sa kanila, naiintindihan naman nila ang concept. I-eexplain ko lang sa kanila yung counterpart nun sa English and voila alam na nila and madali na for them. If you talk to them in Filipino, they can understand you. Yun nga lang, sasagutin ka ng Ingles. Haha! Pero right now, kahit papaano, nakikita ko na nagtry try na sila sumagot ng Filipino kahit pilipit. Hahaha!

Recently, nakakuha ako ng idea kung paano sila magiging attentive sa Filipino subject. Since they are saving up for a new Nerf gun, sabi ko every correct answer nila sa akin, may Piso sila. So ayun, na-excite ang mga kulilits! Naging attentive and naging very competitive sa isa't isa. Yun nga lang, may napipikon kapag nakakalamang na ng sagot yung isa. Hahaha!

So far, effective naman ang new strategy ko. Kaso nga lang, ang drawback nito ay mamumulubi ata ako. Hahaha!

How about you mommies out there? How do you effectively teach Filipino subjects to your kids?

Product Discovery: Guardian Kids Yoghurt Head to Toe Wash

I'm not that maselan when it comes to baby bath products. As long as mabango ito and it keeps my kids smell fresh the whole day, ok na sa akin yun.

Like this Guardian Kids Yoghurt Head to Toe Wash...

I got these from Guardian (para siyang Watsons) in Malaysia. I tried it with my kids and I really liked it. Ang bango niya, tipong parang ang sarap kainin since fruity siya. Hahaha! Pero in fairness, ang bango ng kids ko the whole day. Walang amoy asim sa katawan kahit mga active sila.

Kaya nga kapag may relatives ako na pumupunta ng Malaysia, nagpapabili talaga ako. =) I think sa Malaysia lang siya meron kasi wala sa Guardian ng Hongkong, Indonesia and Singapore nung nagtry ako magpabili eh.

How about you, anong mga bath products ang gamit niyo sa kids niyo?

Late Night Panic

Last night, nagpanic kami ni hubby dahil kay Ina. You won't believe kung ano ang nagyari!

Here is the kwento:

While I'm doing some paper works, Ian and Chris suddenly went out of the bedroom shouting at the top of their lungs...

Ian and Chris: MOMMY!!! HURRY!!! INA!!!
Me: Why? What happened?
Ian: Ina, got stuck.
Me: Where?
Chris: At the bed!

I rushed to the bedroom and saw Ina dun sa bandang headboard ng bed. She got stuck in between the wooden and metal part ng base ng bed.

I tried pulling her out, pero hindi kaya. Feeling ko mapuputol in half yung katawan ng anak ko dahil sa liit ng gap. I hurriedly called hubby (who is taking a bath) and told him to help me. Pati siya nagpanic na. Nagtapis lang sabay takbo kay Ina. He tried widening the gap so I can pull Ina out, pero wala pa rin.

I told him na kailangan namin kalasin yung bed. So dali dali siyang tumakbo sa garage to get some wrench sa car niya. Habang kinakalas ni hubby ang bed, nasa tabi lang ako ni Ina at kinakalma siya kasi nagpapanic na rin dahil nga na-stuck siya. Finally, nakalas na ang bed at natanggal ko si Ina.

I hugged Ina tightly and checked if na-injure yung bandang belly niya. Thank God, walang injury. Sabi ko sa anak ko, "Anak, ano ba yan? Kaisa isa ka lang na babae namin, huwag ka naman ganyan!"

Haaayyysssttt... Ewan ko ba at kung ano ang naisipan ng anak ko at isiniksik ang sarili sa gap na yun. Hindi ko talaga ma-imagine kung paano siya nagkasya dun. Buti na lang at nasa bahay si hubby, na-heart attack na siguro ako kung ako lang mag-isa.

Pero alam niyo ba, hindi lang first time na-stuck si Ina. May isang incident na na-stuck din siya, pero yung legs lang. Ipinasok dun sa gap ng foot board. Matagal tagal ko rin na-figure out kung paano alisin yung legs niya nun at kung hindi, kailangan ko lagariin yung wood since hindi nakakalas yung part na yun.

Si Ina talaga... Hindi ko alam kung bakit sobrang likot ng anak ko na yan. Kung sino pa ang babae, siya pa ang sobrang likot. Take note, talo niya ang 3 kuya niya sa kalikutan at katapangan.

O siya, tutulog na ako. =)

Overnight at Oakwood Premier Joy Hotel

We had a chance to stay at Oakwook Premier Joy Hotel last March. When I first heard from my husband that we are going to have an overnight stay at Oakwood, I thought he was referring to the one in Makati. It was different pala. It was located in Ortigas. And in my mind sabi ko "meron palang Oakwood doon?"

Anyway, when we arrived at Oakwood, hindi masyadong stunning yung building niya. I dunno ha, kasi medyo parang off yung location ng lobby niya. Instead of facing the main road, dun siya facing sa inner street. Pero ok lang naman kasi when we went inside our room, bumawi naman. The room is big. It's like a studio condominium. According to my husband, Oakwood Premier Joy Hotel is a serviced apartment kaya ganun ang features ng room.

Let me show you the inside of our room.

There's a king sized bed and a sala...

Their TV and entertainment system (hindi masyado kita sa picture)...

Kitchen area...

Complete ang gamit sa kitchen. Sayang I didn't know. Sana nakapagbaon kami kasi pwede pala magluto. =)

The bathroom...

You could see that the toilet area is separate from the bathroom area.

The walk-in closet area...

There is an office nook and a laundry area adjacent to it...

Our accommodation includes buffet breakfast for two. Nothing extravagant and limited lang ang food choices compared to other hotels. But still, it is still satisfying.

Overall, we had a nice and memorable stay at this hotel. We recommend it to long-term travelers who want to stay within Ortigas.

Food Trip: Erawan Thai Food

One time, I craved for Pad Thai noodles pero our favorite Thai resto is in Makati pa (that is Som's Noodle House). Buti na lang there is this Thai resto inside our village that's why there is no need to travel far na. The name is Erawan Thai Food.

Actually, I've been seeing Erawan Thai Food na before. That is when it was still located along Lalaine Bennett St. I've always wanted to try its food but parking prevents me to. As far as I remember, parang wala itong available na parking tapos it is located along the main road pa.

Now, it transferred already along BF Resort Drive, kaya ayun, we had a chance to dine in already.

It is just a small restaurant as you can see here...

At peak hours, maraming kumakain. Buti na lang when we came there, patapos na mga tao kumain kaya nakakuha kami kaagad ng table.

Here is their menu...

We ordered the following:

Large Thai Fried Rice...

P170.00

Their fried rice is yummy! Kahit walang ulam, ok na!

Large Chicken Pad Thai...

P200.00

Masarap rin naman their Pad Thai pero I like Som's more. Parang may kulang kasi na ingredient and medyo bitin pa rin ang large size. Ewan ko lang ha kung sadyang matakaw lang kami o medyo konti lang talaga ang serving nila. Haha!

Large Thai Crispy Fish...

P150.00

For this one, ang nagdala is the sauce. May pagka sweet and tangy ang flavor. Maganda rin ang pagkaprito ng fish so it's crispy from the outside and juicy inside. Nagustuhan nga ng mga bagets eh.

We ordered also Thai Milk Tea priced at P60.00. Sakto lang. It doesn't have the woody taste (if it's how to describe it) that I've expecting.

Overall, taste-wise and price-wise, it is reasonable naman. We will probably go back to have a quick fix of our Thai cravings!

Wiwi Problem

Hello guys! I'm here again. As much as I wanted to write and write blog entries, hindi ko na magawa. Hindi na talaga kaya ng powers ko eh. Kung makakasingit, I'll try my best to write something. =)

Anyway, I have a problem right now. It's about Ina, my only girl and youngest child. The problem is she is imitating her brothers in peeing! As in if she goes to the CR, she'll put up the toilet seat and stand in front of the toilet and pretend to pee. Parang lalaki lang!

Then, when I try to let her pee by sitting on the toilet seat, pumapalag. Kailangan talaga ng matinding pakiusapan and explanation na she is a girl and she needs to pee that way. And take note, I demonstrate to her pa how to pee. Hahaha!

So ngayon, binilinan ko na ang mga kuya niya to always close the CR door when they pee and not to show Ina how they pee. Haaayyyssttt... Monkey see and monkey do nga naman...

For you moms there who has an only girl, do you or did you experience this also? How do you go about it? Please share naman. =)

Christoff's First Time at Kids Church

Last Sunday, I told hubby that I'll bring Christoff to Kids Church. Gusto ko na kasi siya masanay with other kids around. Aside from that, he's 3 years old already so I think it's about time to bring him there.

With Christoff, medyo tough ang pagdala sa kanya sa Kids Church. He's the playful type kasi. Tapos yung play niya, rough talaga. That is why I accompanied him inside. Kailangan ko muna bantayan at baka kasi maya't maya magflash ng pangalan niya sa screen.

So ayun na nga. I went with him inside. Nakaupo lang ako sa tabi. At first, during the praise and worship of the kids, he is participating naman. Enjoy si kulit! He is singing and dancing with the other kids.

Eto na... Nung pinaupo na lahat ng kids para sa class rules, nabore na si kulit. He is already starting to create attention from other kids. May sinasandalan... May tinutulak... May kinukurot... Panay saway ko! Na-stress talaga ako! There was a point na may tinulak siya na masmalaki sa kanya. Ayun, binalikan siya. Eh pikon, tinulak niya ulit. Bago pa magkapikunan, kinuha ko na siya. Kinausap ko to stop doing what he is doing kung hindi ilalabas ko siya sa Kids Church.

Tinabi ko siya sa mga kuya niya. Ang bwinibwisit naman yung mga kuya niya. Ang kulit lang talaga. For him kasi, yung mga ginagawa niya is play lang.

Tapos nung may activity kung saan nag-ask ng volunteer yung teacher, gusto niya siya rin. Nung hindi siya napasama, pinuntahan yung napili tapos inagaw yung glass na may liquid. Natapunan tuloy yung bata. Muntik na umiyak! Pinasorry ko siya, nagsorry naman si kulit.

Dahil ayaw ko na ng trouble pa, tinabihan ko na until they were grouped according to age.

When he was with the kids of his age, he was doing well naman. He is participating sa mga activities and he is answering naman the teacher's questions. Sadyang maharot lang talaga, kaya may times na kinukulit yung katabi niya.

During crafts time, he did his work on his own. Nakakatuwa panuorin kasi gumagawa talaga siya and he even shouted "Finish!" While showing his work to his teacher.

Here is his work...

During snack time, kain din siya. Nakakahiya lang kasi parang PG (patay gutom) siy kumain. As in namumuwalan! Hahaha!

After that, play play naman sila kaya kita ko sa kanya na nag-eenjoy siya sobra.

Maya maya, may mga parents na na dumating to get their kids. Eh nataon na yung teacher nila ang in-charge sa pagtawag ng kids. In other words, no activities na for their group. Ayan na naman si kulit! Na-bore na naman! Ang siste niya, tatayo sabay takbo then tatalunan yung nakaupo niyang girl classmate! Oh my talaga! Yung ginagawa niyang harot sa mga kuya niya, ginawa niya dun sa girl. Eh ampayat pa naman. Pinag-sorry ko siya. Buti na lang at hindi umiyak yung bata.

Kaya ayun, bago pa makasakit, nilabas ko na.

Na-stress talaga ako sa anak ko na iyan. Sa kambal, wala akong naging problema eh. Haaaayyysssttt. Iba-iba talaga ang mga bata. Mukhang ilang Linggo pa akong sasama kay Christoff sa Kids Church. I really have to make sure na mawala ang pagiging maharot niya bago ko siya iwan ng tuluyan. I believe na darating din yung time na he'll behave well.

So that's it!

Ransacked!!!

I have two toddlers now in the house - Ina and Christoff! You can't just imagine the trouble these two make when they are together. As in grabe!

Totoo pala the saying na you should be wary whenever your kids are quiet. Quiet, meaning yung tipong hindi mo naririnig na naghaharutan or bigla na lang huminto ang pag-iingay. It means pala na may ginagawa nang kababalaghan.

Like one night, while I was busy preparing dinner, one of the twins went to me and told me that something terrible happened. When I went to our room, this is what I saw...

OMG talaga! Nilabas yung mga damit sa cabinet namin! Minsan talaga feeling ko matatanggalan na ako ng turnilyo sa ulo eh. Hahaha!

New Kitchen Appliance

After my twins' portfolio review, I told hubby na dumaan muna kami ng HMR saglit. Sabi ko maghahanap lang ako ng manual lawnmower. Nakita ko kasi sa IG ni Patty Laurel na nakabili yung dad niya ng manual na lawnmower dun and I badly needed one para sa mga damo damo dito sa house namin.

Anyway, the usual me, sinuyod ko yung buong HMR. Inisa isa ko and inulirat ko yung mga tinda doon. Unfortunately, wala akong nakitang manual na lawnmower. =(

Pero, may nabili pa rin naman ako, and eto yun...

Yup! It's a bread toaster! Ang babaw ano? Haha! Actually, matagal ko na gusto bumili ng bread toaster, mahilig kasi sa toast si hubby and mga kiddos ko. Di ako nakakabili kasi ang parati kong nakikita, pang two pieces na bread lang. Pero this one, perfect! Aside sa pang four pieces siya na bread, may additional features pa like yung reheat and defrost. Tapos, pwede mo pa iset kung ilang minutes mo ito-toast.

And guess what? mukha siyang mahal di ba? Mura lang yan... P599.00 ko lang nabili. Take note, brand new pa yan(May items kasi sa HMR na second hand eh)! Sulit the price ano?

The brand nga pala is Homemaker. Actually, may promo sila that time for that brand. Buy 1 then take any other item of the same brand for 50%. Bibili sana ako ng handheld steamer for clothes kaso nag-iisa na lang yung item tapos hindi pa gumagana. =( Hindi na lang ako nag-avail ng promo since ayaw kong bumili ng something na hindi ko naman kailangan.


Here's how it works...

Nakakagulat ano? Exagge lang ang pag-angat ng breads pagkatapos matoast eh. Hahaha!

Lam niyo, may drawback lang ang pagbili ko nito. Lumakas kami sa Tinapay at palaman!!! One pack of Gardenia bread a day kami!!! Di naman ako mamumulubi ano? Hahaha! Anyway, ok lang, as long as masaya at busog ang mag-aama ko. =)