Catching Up!

It's the school holidays and the kids are in Yogies so I get to finally catch up on my blogging!

Pardon me because it might be a long post. I just decided to put everything here than make or write separate blog entries for each of the stories I want to share :)

We are already on the last quarter of the year and yes, it is becoming busier by the day!

While on school holidays and I have my niece and nephew to help me out in taking care of Sam, I decided to start preparing for her birthday party. I know it's still a month away, but since I'm already booked by the first three weeks of Term 4, I decided now is the best time to do it. As I have mentioned it before, I don't work well with pressure hehehe :)

Here are the things that are keeping me busy the past few days:

I made the lolly bags, prepared the birthday banner, bought the balloon pack, bought the lollies, made my own pinata (I find the ready made too expensive!), did and put the thank you tags for the party favours and bought the plates, cuttlery etc. needed for the party. I'm still thinking if I will be making  personalized name tags for the kids...haven't decided at this point, although I already bought the materials :)



sorry upside down! lollies for the big kids' lolly bags
(the little ones will have a separate one c/o the venue)

additional lollies for the pinata

my DIY pinata, saving me $15 bucks!

labels of the girls' party favours



the props -- birthday candles, sparklers, trumpets, face paint, tattoos,
 birthday banners, balloon pack, medals, lolly bags

I have already updated the guest list as some of our guests have sent their "regrets" of not being able to join us. I still need to place the food orders, I'm giving myself until a week before because I have given our guests until 14 October to confirm their attendance. That way, I won't be ordering too much food.

I still need to ask and think of people who can help me out with the face paint, putting on tattoo, giving of prizes, and of course documentation. I can already ask my two nieces to give the party favours for the kids after the party. This is the hardest part of having a party, the small details -- they are driving me nuts hehehe. I am stopping myself because I originally planned to have a VERY SIMPLE one, so I'm not going to stress myself with this (fingers crossed!).

That is the big event for next month. Although prior to that, most of our weekends have been booked with other kids' parties, not to mention that we will have the annual family day of BAT by the 13th of October, again at Luna Park.

Another thing that is keeping me busy is our next travel as a family!

Yes, I can now spill the beans as we decided not to surprise hubby's family anymore!

all ready to fly again as a family! weeee!

My sister-in-law is tying the knot soon and we decided that we will all go home to be there with her on her special day. Weddings are very special occasions where we think, the whole family, as much as possible, should be complete. On our original plan, it is only Alvin who is to go home. We wanted to bring Liam with him, but I'm not 100% at peace with the idea. Besides, Liam had important events here, Moving Up Day (Pre-school grduation) and Kindy transition and of course, we had to think of the expenses. We had to be practical as well, right?

Anyway, to make the long story short, God in His goodness put everything in place, Liam's graduation and Kindy transition will be happening before our the wedding so no conflicts whatsoever, including providing for the funds that we will be needing for the tripS. Yes, we will be stopping over Singapore first before heading to Manila. We will be staying there for four days :) Another bonding activity for the family and another opprtunity to expose our children to another culture. Lucky (very lucky) kids! (Kami ng tatay nila malaki na ng makasakay ng eroplano!)

God has been providing and we can't thank Him enough for allowing us to live comfortably and enjoy plenty of extras (more on this later). We haven't left for our trip but we already incurred expenses like passport renewals (for me and Liam) and flights (SQ flights are not that cheap and we didn't get the ones on sale because we had to consider the chances of possibly rebooking the flights just in case, touchwood, something happens). I'm excited to fly SQ this time because even if you pay more than the other airlines, your travel will really be very comfortable and relaxing. Additonal expenses are of course the hotel bookings (hotel booking has been confirmed, just waiting for the costings from our travel agent), the pocket money we will be spending both in Singapore and in Manila, the entrance fees that we will be paying for the sites we will be visiting in Singapore. Not to mention the wedding gift we will be giving to the newly weds and the early Christmas presents we will be giving to hubby's other siblings.

The funny thing though is we will only be staying in Manila for 7 days. That already includes our  flights to and from Sydney! hehehe Most of our friends are saying, sayang naman ang ginastos sa pamasahe, but we can't stay long since Alvin cannot take a long leave from work and my parents and two younger siblings are scheduled to fly down under to celebrate the holidays with us. This is the first time, in years that my family will be complete, so extending our stay in Manila is non-negotiable.

Anyway, ganoon talaga, ipipikit mo na lang ang mga mata sa gastos para mapasaya ang mga mahal mo. I was actually very excited to see the faces of my in-laws when they see us arrive at the airport if we decided to keep it as a secret to the very end. Natakot lang ako, baka wala kami tulugan when we keep it as a secret hahaha. We just told them about the good news last week and boy, the smile on my MIL and FIL's faces? Priceless :) Joy radiated on their faces. I know they are very happy and excited to see and spend time with their grandkids again after almost a year :)

(My SIL and my parents knew we were all coming home, they had to because we will be part of the entourage. Trying to keep this one a low profile because we don't think we can meet up with friends as much as we would like to. Alvin's relatives from the US are also flying to Manila so I'm already expecting a lot of time catching up with them).

God is good. If this blog can be an instrument to sort of evangelize other people, then so be it. Last Sunday hubby and I were talking of how we felt so "maluwag" ...since I started working. Hubby's salary is more than enough to meet our daily needs and our "luho" every now and then. But me working again made us feel the difference. Some people learning that we will be going to Singapore and Manila are saying that we should grab the opportunity to shop because it's much cheaper there. It made me think, I don't have to go to another country just to shop because, God in His goodness, has allowed me and my family to buy the things we want (and need) here in Sydney. This includes maintaining our two other savings account, the kids' savings account and swiping everything on the credit card bills every month.

I remember our humble beginnings here in Sydney -- hubby doing manual labor, me helping re-pack hairnets  he brings home from work and be paid 10cents  for each pack, and comparing what we are now, I can't help but get teary-eyed. I get teary-eyed because my heart is just overflowing with gladness and thanksgiving, BIG TIME. And so when I see someone who looks like a new migrant (folders, papers on bag, holding a map)...I can't help but remember that three years ago, hubby might have looked like that person...I say a silent prayer for that person, that he will also be blessed in the same way we have been blessed. When I started working as a teacher again, I was extremely surprised with all the calls that I got this year! I mean, the past years, there were days when I didn't get any calls! This year, the calls just kept coming, not that I'm complaining, but I was and am amazed! I was also given my very first 2-week teaching block starting next term. This opportunity made me decide not to push thru with my enrollment. God has been giving me the signals, I'm just too stubborn, ignoring them, still doubting. But when this offer came? It's like one BIG SIGN from God,  flashing in front of me saying: I WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU! BELIEVE! HAVE FAITH! Not keeping all the blessings to ourselves, we try in our own small way to help others in need.

Hubby didn't get the job he applied for (the one which was 15minutes from our place) but we are okay. We after all prayed for humility to accept whatever He wills for us and for Alvin, during the time that we were also praying for him to get the job. So if He says no, then, we know that something better is in store for us :) Keeping the faith.

I'm already a self-confessed Facebook addict, but there are days when I feel it's starting to get boring. Recently, I have discovered new apps which takes my time away from Facebook. It's Instragram, Goodreads and Pinterest.

I am loving Goodreads because I get to have ideas from fellow friends who are book lovers, what books I can read. I have made it my own book club. I get to have ideas about good books and I get to share my ideas of good books that I have read. It reignited my love for reading :) I just finished reading The Time Keeper of Mitch Albom and now I am currently reading Days Like These. The book I am currently reading is a memoir of a cancer patient. Gave me a chance to see what they have to go through just to get Cancer free. I feel it is a good book to read after the Time Keeper. There were "lessons" in Albom's book that were proven in the life of author of Days Like These.

The other one which is keeping me busy is Pinterest. I get to see plenty of nice, cute, brilliant photos! Not only that, it also gives me plenty of ideas about anything under the sun -- weddings, photos, parties, fashion, schooling, home decorating, home keeping and a lot more! Try it :)

Weee! Natapos din. I hope you had fun reading my stories. I hope to be able to update you, time permitting, but if not, you know very well the reasons ;D

Eating My Words

I remember mentioning that for my daughter's 2nd birthday, I wanted a simple celebration.

Oh well, I'm a woman, so I am excused to change my mind ;P

The date that we initially wanted has been booked already. The date right after her birthday was non-negotiable for hubby, since it coincided with service (and most of our guests will be coming from the CFC community). End result? We are celebrating Sam's birthday, 3 weeks early of her real birthday hehehe

Of course I panicked! I was taking my sweet time and then suddenly I was only left with 4 weeks to prepare! (Not to mention that I have been bombarded with work the past few weeks).

Not wasting any time, I started to attend to the things needed for the party :)

Venue: Check!

We will be having it at:

Kids Play Land at Castle Hill

The play land will be for our baby/toddler guests (0-5 years old).

What to do with the older ones?

We will be hiring a separate court for them to play different kinds of sports (soccer, cricket, bastketball). Hubby was okay with this (extra payment of course! to my surprise he said okay!)

Aside form the huge play area, the adults entrance being free, the thing that convinced me and hubby to choose this as our venue: we can bring our own food, no corkage! wee!

Theme: Sports

I do not believe that Sports can only be used by boys as theme for their parties :)

Invites: Do - It - Yourself

The venue offers free invites upon booking, but I wanted to make my own :)

(Sorry, can't put it here as some private info are on the invites ;))

I'm done doing the FB event page and I'm done sending out the invites, which means guest list has been already finalized.

Food:

I already have the menu and where to order them. I just need to confirm number of guests before I place the order four days before the party.

We will just be serving light snacks. No mess, no fuss, no dramas. Easy to eat, easy to clean :)

Tokens:

I just bought huge bubble sticks for the girls and rescue pack for the boys.

Not thinking of giving them lollies this time :)

And this time, only the kids get a token after the party ;)

Decors:

The venue will have their own but I plan to just add one big balloon for the birthday girl :)

Program/Extras:

The venue in itself can already entertain our little guests, but since we have one whole court all to ourselves, and to put a bit of structure to the party, I plan to put sticker tattoos for the kids, prepare 3-4 parlor games for the biggies and the little ones (I bought medals for the winners of each game, to follow our sports theme..of course this is aside from the prizes), pinata, and of course the candle-blowing...just before everyone eats :)

Thankful that I can squeeze in the party preps :)

Hopefully, all will be well :)

Here are some photos of the stuff I have been slowly buying for Sam's 2nd birthday party :)

pin the tail of the donkey...one of the games fot the little ones

sorry it's upside down!
when I saw these badges, I thought, no need to buy a statement shirt for Sam, she can just wear the badges ;)

the medals I will be giving for the winners of the games

 

the tattoos which the kids can choose from :)
 

thejumbo  bubble stick and rescue car sets for tokens

There are some more crazy ideas in my head, but I'm still thinking if I will do it or I can do it :) Time will tell :)

Will update you again soon :)

Not Within My Standards

Closest friends and family know that I have a thing for details. I set some expectations not really for other people, but for me.

Guess what, I recently had an event and I was not VERY happy with my outputs. It was not within my standards.

What event was that? Sam's 1st birthday.

Well, at first I wanted to rate each supplier, but with the limited amount of time that I have to blog and the long stories I have to share, no pwede. I have to be practical. I am writing this so I can let go or release some steam off.

I am actually doing this while the kids are asleep hoping that I get to finish this before they wake up, or else, it will again become in installments. Anyway, back to my story.

There were just so many elements in that party that went wrong.
First, the cake. I already shared my story about Sam's cake and even up to now, I am frustrated about it. There are pictures to always remind me about that. Hay.

Second, the caterer. I was not really happy with the caterer. The thing was, before we left for Cebu, a week before Sam's birthday, Raquel of Tom's world was convincing me to try out their newest caterers. Not Benedict's, the one we got the chance to see and have food tasting (c/o my sister), but two new ones. I didn't close the deal yet because I wanted to see the menu first and the set up since we don't have any chances of seeing them in action beforehand. Raquel promised to email the June and pictures during the week we are in Cebue, but we got back from our week's stay and no email. Three days before the party, we went there to give additional payments and finally was able to see the set up through pictures. Raquel was really rooting for the new ones so we told her that yes, we are to choose one from the two she was suggesting, but told her, that we are relying on her on this. We didn't have the chance to taste their food so sa opinion niya kami nagre-rely na okay sila. Raquel gave us her assurance. What is wrong with Albas? Raquel mentioned that their serving was smaller now, because they had to reduce their prices. Albas does not also have 20% buffer allowance, which I found weird since I know it is an SOP with caterers. Anyways, come party time, yes, the food was enough, but was still not happy with the set up in the buffet table and the taste of the food in general. Parang cheapangga! Hay! Although the waiters were mabait, still it was not wihtin my standards.

The tarpaulin. This is actually a sensitive isuue since I asked my brothers-in-law to help me with this one. Hubby's youngest brother who works as a graphic design artist was the one in-charge with the main tarp. My other brother-in-law was in charge if tarp 2, Sam's birthday logo, which we will be using for photoshoots with guests. I was always in touch with Tarp 2 BIL, for instructions for both tarps. Initially, tarp 1 will follow the size of Liam's tarp 8 x 4 feet. But since the logo tarp will have a size of 10 x 6 feet, I asked Tarp2 BIL to relay to Tarp1 BIL to change the size of tarp 1 to 10 x 6 na rin, since it will be the main tarp. I reminded him and even asked him if tarp1 BIL already knows the change in size. Oo daw. The thing is, they are not talking directly to each other, The messages that I have for tarp1 BIL is coursed thru my parents-in-law. The result? Palpak! When we went to Tom's a few days before the party, I already got intrigued why we had 2 different sizes of tarp in the car. Good thing I checked on it when I was turning it over to Raquel. Hay, mas malaki si tarp 2 than tarp 1. Fuming mad already at that time. Hubby sensed it. He knows me. My FIL who was with us that day must have sensed it too. Alvin asked him why the size is smaller. FIL said that was the size of Liam's tarp. Hubby then asked me if his brother knew of the changes, of course I said yes, I informed them. His other brother said he was informed! Ay, nag-away kami ni Alvin that time! Buwisit na buwisit talaga ako! Of course no words came out, but our actions. Kainis!. There was no point doing it again because it was two days before the party and of course, we will just waste money. The thing was, I had to pressure na BIL tarp 1 since the first one BIL tarp1 made e safari yung theme. I have mentioned it na nga in my emails na Dora yung theme and how I wanted it to look like. If you know me, you know how I can BE SOOOO MAKULIT. Yung sfari pang boy di ba? Up until the week of the party, di ko pa nakikita yung revised theme. Pero not enough, palpak pa rin yung end result. Raquel told us na sila na lang gagawa ng paraan. Of course I did not take this sitting down. I texted BIL Tarp2, who assured me that his borther knew of the change in size. PA-guilty ba.


I begged them na ako na kang magpapa-print ng both tarps, ayaw. sila na lang daw because it wasn't ready yet when I needed it. To think I gave them the requirements MONTHS before. Nagawan sana ng paraan. At ayan, nakita ko na lang na mali yung size when my father in law picked us up that day when we are to turn over the tarps na. since family, di ko maaway ng derecho kahit gigil na gigil ka na! I asked Tom's kung pwede ipatong sa tarp nila yung main tarp. You should have seen my face on the day of the turn over! Kung hindinlang talaga family....buwiset! Lol

On the day of the party? The main tarp that was used was that of Tom's, yung generic lang. Yung main tarp, nasa wall nila sa side ng party room. And the logo tarp, not yet put up, kasi wala pang pagkakabitan. By that time by hook or by crook, Alvin made something na to make sure magamit young isang tarp. Hay.


On the day of the party, I was too tired to be mad na, kaya kahit dumating na din yung cake na palpak, sige na nga.Like during my wedding, I know not everything in the plan can be followed. Nag let go na rin ako, so I can enjoy the party.

Bottom line: mas better to pay than ask favors from family, para Kung palpak maaway ko. wehehe my BILs and I are ok ha, no fights whatsoever :)

Next, still better to get old, reliable suppliers.
It's hard to plan for a party like this whene you have a thousand and one things to do before the party. Kailangan hands on ulit ako, at ito lang young ginagawa ko. But it was hard for me since we were only on vacation and I only get to prepare for the party sa umaga before we go out again and do some other stuff--like doing errands, meeting up with friends, etc. I didn't have the luxury of time.

Am I making an excuse here? Well, I don't know. But I am the first to admit that what happened was really not within my standards.

Well, it is done. I don't know if my friends got to see the booboos and palpaks that day. I hope not! Ewan, maarte Lang siguro ako.

Ang dami pang issues hahaha, pero medyonsensitive because family ang involved -- like late comers, na pwde sana inagahan kasi tutulong sana mag set-up...mga tipong, ay why do you look so plain? Medyo magpustura naman ikaw, te hehehehe Well, family are the first to arrive and last to go, remember? wehehehe


Nag let go na ako on the day of the party. Good thing. Even if there were guests na nag-RSVP at nang Indian din, some were VERY late they skipped the entertainment and games part for the kids, we still got to celebrate and have fun. :)

If there is one good thing about it:

I think majority of the kids enjoyed the free ride-all-you can that went with the party package and the Austin playland for the little ones :) AND
Through Sam's party, we got to put a smile on the faces of 30 public school students of Nagkaisang Nayon Elememntray school for the school supplies they will be getting for Christmas (in lieu of gifts to Sam we requested guests to just bring school supplies for these kids) :)

Lessons learned :-)
Don't worry Sam, bababwi si mama on your 7th birthday! Ha!