Motherhood: A Higher Calling

I've always pursued my passion. I started my career by being a volunteer worker for our community to hopefully bring the love of God to them and help form their character and hone their leadership potentials. Two years after I found myself pursuing my dream of becoming a teacher, a dream I've had since my second year in high school. I wanted to make a difference in the world, so I chose to work with the young. And I was very much fulfilled in what I did. On the side of teaching, I continued (even at present) to serve in our community's youth program. As a single person, my passion was loving God through my service with the youth and teaching grade school girls.

I have mentioned in my other posts, that the calling and vocation of marriage changes you. The weird thing I realize is that it makes the world you revolve in smaller than how it was as a single person. When I was single, I had more time to go out with friends and stay up until past midnight. As a single person who wanted to radically serve and be active in the church, I was willing to go anywhere and do everything. I was sent to Cagayan de Oro, Davao, and even Singapore for Mission Trips. And how I would love to do that again.

When I got married, my life sort of turned around, slowed down. I found myself wanting to just be with my husband, go home, or if I wanted to hang out with friends, it was usually a smaller group and usually composed of married friends. 

When I got pregnant, I couldn't do a lot of things anymore or go anywhere I would like. 

When I gave birth, I suddenly had this baby who needed me all the time. 

Not that I didn't welcome the change. I actually embraced it, with a little pain. I wondered to my leader, why it seemed like my world is smaller now. I could only offer little of my time for others, I had to go home early when I went back to work, and again, I couldn't go anywhere I wanted to. And this wasn't a selfish "I want" all the time, okay? I wanted to serve, I wanted to be there for friends. I wanted to meet and catch up with friends. But I couldn't. At least not as much as before.

Don't get me wrong. I am actually not complaining. Honest! As I said, I welcomed the change, with, well, a little pain. My leader said that, as a married person, what I was going through was normal. Your world becomes smaller because your priorities and roles change. Whew. Thank God. 

When I was younger, one of my motivations for getting married is to have children. Imagine how amazing God is, he fulfilled that desire. Trivia: I wanted a boy. When I was pregnant, people would ask me if we wanted a boy or girl. I would say, any, as long as the baby is healthy and normal. But God made my dream come true. We were having a boy.

One reason I wanted to teach was because I really love children. So you can imagine, how much I wanted to have my own. One of my greatest fears, other than cockroaches, is to never be able to conceive. But when I got married, I just surrendered it all to God. And two years after getting married, we were gifted with our own baby.

Sacrifice is a word often used in the vocabulary of motherhood. I have shared about things I had to let go. And again, it is not easy and without pain. Recently, I was catching up with another leader of mine in community. I was telling her about our recent challenge in our finances since I was currently on leave from work and without pay. She said, "You will be blessed because your intentions are not for yourself." Oh wow. Right to my heart. And that was when it all became clear. All this is really for my family, especially for my son. The decision to spend this year with him, having to sacrifice a bit, no, a lot, of our finances, was His calling for me, for us, for now. It was for me to be with my son as he goes through changes and growth. It was for me to start raising him the way God wants us to.

At this point, I had to forget about myself. I had to think of my son and his needs. I also wish to be with him as he goes through the crucial stages of his life. It may mean giving up a lot of things for me. But that's what this is all about. It's what God calls me to do now. The journey will not be simple nor easy, but with His grace and the support and prayers of those around me, I can wholeheartedly say yes to a higher calling for my life called motherhood.

Mommy Finds: Richell Snack Cup and Kuku Soft Drink (or beverage) Holder

Living in an era of innovation and creativity, I cannot help but thank the brilliant people who think not only of the children but their parents, too. I am amazed by the number of products available out there that makes parents' lives a little easier. 

In our present status, a single-income family, being practical and wise in our spending is non-negotiable. It's not always easy, and honestly, I sometimes go beyond the budget just because I found a product interesting, especially when it's for the kiddo.

Two months ago, my college friends and I met up to check out the Mommy Mundo Clearance Sale in Pasig and used the occasion to catch up with each other. Other than the conversations on motherhood and married life, I took pleasure in the sharing of wisdom and advice we got from each other, especially the practical discussions we had such as brands and products we use.

One of my mommy friends recommended two products for toddlers like my little boy. She has an adorable daughter just two months older than Noah. And like me, she's a very practical spender when it comes to her little girl. What I discovered from her were the snack keeper and the beverage holder. She mentioned some brands and explained the use of the products.

A few weeks later, I found myself in Rustan's checking out these two products. The brands she mentioned were there, but I found a cheaper brand for the snack keeper. While the beverage holder was a little beyond what we can afford. We also felt it was not needed at that time. Needless to say, we got the snack keeper or snack cup.

Richell Snack Cup

My friend suggested I look for one that has a cover. And I found this. This is the Richell Snack Cup. 

Richell Snack Cup, with its cover. Inside is my son's favorite Bread Sticks by Monde

What to do with a snack keeper/cup?

It is used to, obviously, keep snacks for toddlers, like cereals, biscuits and cookies. So how is it better than other snack containers? You can let your toddler hold on to the cup confident that he will not spill the contents and waste food. 

We know toddlers, and even preschool kids, can be very careless and clumsy when it comes to eating. Give them a pack of biscuits, they sometimes end up throwing out all the pieces. Or sometimes, they get too much and end up wasting the food. The snack cup will become your BFF because it prevents the waste of food and the mess.

The snack cup has a soft lid that has slits to enable your child to get the snack one or two pieces at a time and avoid spilling the contents. My son carries the cup with him while he walks and snacks. When your child does not want the snack anymore, you can just cover the cup. It seals perfectly!

I tried to search for more information before writing this review. I found out that it is also sold online. I forgot how much I paid for it, but you can check out it's price from Youji & Me.

Soft inner lid with slits

We like the Richell Snack Cup because:
1. It is cheaper compared to the other brands we looked at.
2. The lid where you insert your hand is soft enough for a child.
3. Keeps the contents from spilling, even most of the crumbs, because of the soft lid.
4. The lid prevents the contents from losing crispness.
5. Easy to clean. Just use whatever you use with your child's eating utensils.

Richell is made in China but I think also for Japan, based from what I searched online.

Kuku Soft Drink Holder

Noah likes to drink milk and juice from tetra packs. They are also easier to carry when on the go. The problem is, he also like to squeeze the carton. So some of the liquid spills, and messes up a lot of things. And I do not like that.

Thus, the very helpful beverage holder. 

I usually go to a favorite store of mine in Market! Market! called Kuku Duckbill. It's a haven for parents. We bought several products from that store already since Noah's birth: bath tub, sling carrier, cloth diapers, sando, and so much more. I was looking for a microwaveable food container when I saw their beverage holder.

Here is what they call the Kuku Soft Drink Holder. I do not think it should be called such though, I do not let my son drink soft drinks (sodas) yet! But maybe they mean something else by soft. Haha. So, here is the little boy using it with a tetra pack of juice.

The holder may be folded for easy packing. The holder can also be extended depending on the size of the drink.

When folded

smallest size

widest/largest size

 We've tried it with the fresh milk tetra packs and juice tetra box. As you can see the shapes and sizes differ but it works for most beverage cartons.

Noah using the holder for his milk when we ate out

It's only been a few weeks since we started using it, but we like it already. I was able to convince a mommy friend of mine to get for her two toddlers. By the way, it is way cheaper than the brands I saw in Rustan's. According to what I researched, Kuku Duckbill is made in Taiwan. 

We like the Kuku Duckbill Soft Drink Holder because:
1. It's cheap.
2. It's easy to pack.
3. You can use it with drinks of different sizes and shapes.
4. It prevents spilling.
5. It's easy to use since there are handles.
6. It's easy to clean. Again, we use the same dishwashing liquid as Noah's utensils.

These inventions are amazing and brilliant! It always helps to stop and think, compare and search before immediately buying something.

Here's to more discoveries in the journey of parenting.

Richell Snack Cup
Rustan's Makati 
(Children's Section)
Youji & Me

Kuku Duckbill Soft Drink Holder
Kuku Duckbill, 
3rd Level, Market! Market!

Family Time at Splash Suites Tagaytay

A week ago, hubby celebrated his birthday and we wanted to take a break from the busy month of September. Perfect timing because of the long weekend. I rushed to research a staycation place here in the Metro with a very limited budget but would still give us a good amount of rest and relaxation. We found ourselves considering Tagaytay, though we knew we felt that due to the sudden long weekend, a good number of people would probably schedule a trip there, too.

I tried Agoda and my ever reliable, Deal Grocer, and I found the place Splash Suites Tagaytay. The amount we paid, was a little above our budget. Comparing it with my other options, we preferred this. Honestly, there were no reviews about it. I only based my decision through photos I found online. So surprise, here was our weekend experience...

Splash Suites Tagaytay is from the same owners of Splash Mountain in Los Banos, Laguna. They only opened last March. I think, that explains why there weren't any reviews about this place yet. Hopefully my our experience here would encourage others to try it out. Needless to say, we found our stay quite pleasant.

When I called to make reservations, I found out they were also giving a P1000 off discount for accommodations. Deal Grocer still offered a cheaper rate. And obviously, I chose to pay through Deal Grocer.

We made reservations for Friday to Saturday. I sent a text Friday an hour before check in that we will arrive later than check in time. When we arrived, we were accommodated immediately. Approaching the front desk, Joyce, the person in-charge, warm and friendly, addressed me by my name. Nice personal touch! This was also probably because, and to my delight, there were only a few checked in. The check in procedure was simple and quick. You have to make a P500 deposit for the key. They only provide guests with one key per room. Wish they could provide two keys in the future.

The front desk, with the shy, Joyce

Room 306: Our room

We got their Deluxe Room. It has two double beds. One for me and for the little boy, and the other for the big boy. Hubby was sick so we left him on his own. We also wouldn't fit in one bed anyway. I was told that we were given the only Deluxe Room with a balcony. Awesome! Plus points for that.

The two boys getting a feel of the room... It is spacious, by the way.

The room has a mini bar, a ref, and complimentary bottled water, pretty much what you usually get from a decent hotel.

The bathroom was also spacious. You can dance inside. Comes with bath soap, shampoo and conditioner (though obviously used already since the bottles were half filled) and dental kit. I forgot my toothbrush and toothpaste so it was good that they had provisions for that.

The shower area

The toilet: they placed a bidet! Check!

After exploring our room, I decided to check out the rest of the place. I went outside and went around. This is what I saw.

View from the terrace or veranda

Great and marvelous are you, Lord, for this glorious creation of yours! For a moment, I felt calm, relaxed, and I wanted to cry. It has been a while since I last experienced being in this state. With the busy life of a stay-at-home mom and being an active member of our Catholic community, this was a rare moment for me. I left the little boy with his dad, by the way, that's why I had some me-time.

3rd level: Event place; 2nd level: Lobby; 1st level: dining area;
garden area for relaxing and watching the clouds and stars

Splash Suites also markets itself as a venue for events, such as weddings, debut, conferences, and the like. The terrace/veranda is where wedding ceremonies may take place. I think, the daughter of the owner was the first wedding held there.

My little boy and I tried to go for a swim at around 4PM. By that time, there weren't people around. The water was so cold. We tried to wade for a while but ended up staying by the stairs of the pool. Noah enjoyed splish splashing the water with me, while taking photos in between.

The pool viewed from the building where our room was located

Behind us is an area for hanging out or maybe a events venue place

There are comfort rooms and a shower room for those who wish to swim. The view from the pool area is magnificent. Noah and I had fun taking photos. I introduced the Taal Volcano to him.

The swimming pool

We decided to have dinner there since hubby wasn't feeling well. Splash Suites Tagaytay is located a little far from the busy area of Tagaytay. By the way, another reason we chose Splash Suites Tagaytay is because of that, we were far from the crowd and noise. For reference, it is near Breakfast at Antonio's and Splendido.

Before dinner, we explored the front area of the place and the lobby. The weather that evening was perfect. It seems they only turn on the fountain when there's someone checking it out. Maybe when there are more people checked in they will leave it on.

There is ample parking space for the guests. I read that they have 25 rooms. I think there are still parking spaces outside. They have a gate and the whole place is enclosed so it feels pretty safe.

Parking area, fountain, and entrance

The lobby: huge area for people for lounging

Dinner time. We ordered their Potato Soup (I think), Rosemary Chicken and Pesto Pasta (sorry I forgot to take note of the actual names). We were also given apple slices compliments of the chef. Their food is delicious. We like how the pasta was cooked, al dente, the pesto sauce was not oily. The rosemary chicken was good, just that it was overcooked which left the meat a bit too hard to slice and chew. The soup was a bit salty but hubby still finished it. Noah, enjoyed the pasta and the apples. First time, he almost finished the apples.

Rosemary Chicken

Pesto Pasta

The deal comes with free breakfast set. I got the beef tapa that came with garlic rice and egg. Hubby got their corned beef that came with pancakes and eggs. The waiter suggested that we get pancakes for side instead of garlic rice, then just get an extra order of garlic rice, which he said was cheaper. Plus points again for the good recommendation by the waiter. The tapa and corned beef were both good. Pancakes, not so. But Noah still enjoyed eating it. We didn't take photos of our meal, unfortunately.

Checking out was also a breeze. The front desk staff, Joy, was equally pleasant as the other one, Joyce.

We achieved our goal for that weekend. It was a good time rest, relaxation, and family bonding. It also provided the hubby a time to catch up on his rest. Another memorable experience added to my journey.

Rested, relaxed faces after our stay in Splash Suites Tagaytay

Splash Suites Tagaytay

Bagong Tubig, Tagaytay City

0908-8121401

0917-5680673

02 889-7140/6752

Building Memories in Legoland

This was our first out-of-the-country trip with the three kiddos from my side of the family. Our first stop was Legoland, Malaysia. I actually think this was the highlight of the whole trip to Malaysia.

To get to Legoland we flew Air Asia to Kuala Lumpur. Air Asia is a budget carrier so we checked in through NAIA Terminal 4 and landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2, where all the Air Asia planes arrive and depart. If my understanding is correct it's Malaysia's low cost carrier terminal. We transferred to another plane, still Air Asia, to go to Johor Bahru, where Legoland was.

For two nights, we stayed at Tune Hotel. It was a budget hotel that was pretty decent. It was airconditioned, we were given towels and toiletries, hot and cold powerful shower, decent bed and linen. It was really just for us to rest and sleep for the night.

Tune Hotel: budget-friendly place but a good place to stay

One whole day in Johor was dedicated just for Legoland. We hired a van to take us to Legoland. It was a 10-15 minute ride. Drivers reach 120 kph there even if they have a minimum speed close to our country.

My niece with her E-ticket

My mother got us tickets online and it was cheaper. We didn't need to line up for tickets there. First thought after our Legoland experience, it was really built for children. It was like Lego heaven for them. Rides, playgrounds, food, building lego, it was all for them. Of course, the kids-at-heart like me, enjoyed some of the rides.

The Entrance

We only went around the theme park and chose not to check the water park anymore, because they say you need two days to do both.

From the website: "LEGOLAND® Malaysia Resort has seven themed areas of attractions for all ages such as The Beginning, LEGO® Technic, LEGO Kingdoms,Imagination, LEGO City, Land of Adventure and MINILAND. "

I had the chance to try a few rides:

Aquazone Wave Racers. A ride where you will try to(or you may opt not to) avoid being splashed with water. People outside watching may press buttons to blast you with water. How fun is that! I avoided the water mainly because I didn't want my sneakers to get wet.

Me and my hubby trying to avoid the water

My brother trying to blast us with the water

Dragon's Apprentice. A mini-roller coaster. But one or two loops actually gave me butterflies in my stomach. I wanted to try the bigger roller coaster, the Dragon. Unfortunately, when my companions tried the ride, I was in the Baby Care Center.

And the ride I liked the least, the Lost Kingdom, you are in this car that goes through different rooms and you are supposed to shoot things in the room with a lazer gun. Found it boring. I guess, I was too busy taking photos also.

In MINILAND, famous landmarks found in different Asian countries were featured, built using thousands of Lego pieces.They were amazing! Many of the pieces were actually mobile, like boats, planes, cars, trucks, etc. My son loved watching them. 

Bolinao, Pangasinan was the one featured from our country.

The area, though, is quite hot, because you're out in the open under the heat of the sun. Best to view late in the afternoon or before you go home.

This is Bolinao, Pangasinan. Awesome!

KLIA. Another amazing creation!

Intricate details of an airplane in the KLIA

Connected to MINILAND, we also went to this Starwars area. There we watched a short Starwars film. This is a fairly new area in Legoland. Here you can also see the  world of Starwars presented like what can be seen in MINILAND. This one is located indoor and is airconditioned.

We also rode the Legoland Express, the train that takes you around the park. This got us bored after some time. And it was cramped and a little hot.

All aboard!

While on the train, we saw this part of  MINILAND showing Kuala Lumpur: Petronas Twin Towers and KL Tower

My family tried several other things: 

Watched a film in Lego Studio 4D

Dragon: Roller coaster ride for adults. I wish I rode this!

Junior Driving School: my niece and nephew drove Lego cars! It was so fun watching them. At first, the two were scared and seemed like they wanted to go down the cars. After two or three tries, they wanted to do it again and again. They were more confident driving the cars.

This was one of the cars Noah "drove"

My son was left "driving" the stationary Lego cars in the nearby area. And it was so difficult to take him away from the cars, too.

We went and built stuff at BUILD CITY. But my son and I came from the Baby Care Center so we went on a different time while they watched a film in the Lego Studio 4D.

My little boy playing with big Lego

The other kid obviously on a high during his building time

The kids-at-heart having fun, too

Shopping. If you wish to buy Lego from their Big Shop, go and buy already. It is much cheaper in Legoland than it is here in the Philippines. We made the mistake of thinking it would sell at the same price in Kuala Lumpur. We were wrong, it was worth the same as here in our country. Luckily, we found some malls that had them on sale.

Entrance to the Baby Care Center is under the giraffe

One of my favorite places in is the Baby Care Center. This is because I have a little boy who needs to be breastfed and needs to take a nap. The center is a very spacious area, airconditioned, has two restrooms: for adults' use and for changing your child's diaper. The place has about four rocking chairs, a crib, two nursing chairs/areas with curtains and a full length mirror, and a play area with Legos for toddlers. There are a lot of seats, sofas and stools around, so those who are inside won't have to worry about personal space. They also have a pantry, with drinking water, a refrigerator, microwave, and some things that you might need. 

When I used the center, I took advantage of it: breastfed, changed his diaper and clothes, and let him take a long nap. I also had a good amount of rest. The only area for improvement would be to allow the dads to stay inside. They are very conscious about moms who breastfeed, so they do not allow males to stay inside. I thought the place actually had enough space for the dads to be inside but far from the breastfeeding moms. I mean, I needed assistance for some things. A good thing about the center is that the staff assigned there can help you out. When I had to use the restroom, she watched over my napping little boy. Last point about the center, the theme park is not that huge that it would be tiring to go back to the Baby Care Center. Another breastfeeding mom loved the place and couldn't help expressing it to me. I agree!

That little kid sleeping soundly is my son

Breastfeeding area: chairs are so comfortable!

At the end of our adventure was a bonus, a few minutes before leaving, we witnessed a parade of different Lego characters plus the dragon/lion dancers since it was Chinese New Year.

That's my mom and Emmet

Some tips: bring bottled water, snacks, and change of clothes since some of the rides can get you wet. The cool thing was they have a huge dryer nearby these rides. But you have to pay a fee. Wear comfortable and light clothing. Weather can get warm.

The whole experience was surely memorable. I've always been grateful for parents who love traveling and checking out new places, especially those where we can bring our kids. 

I would want to return to Legoland, to the theme park AND the water park. Maybe when my son's a little older and when he's allowed to get on most of the rides.

Thank you, Legoland, Malaysia! This was one journey that was built to last forever!