So last weekend our family hied off to our first trip for summer. A weekend escape with my side of the family. While packing for the trip, I found myself loving so many of my new discoveries of cool summer products.  It was tempting to bring everything along (and test those I haven’t used yet!) and I admit I ended up with a bigger suitcase in the end! With so many new stuff, I decided to come up with my top 15 list of my fave summer items:

Let’s start with my fave SUMMER FOOTWEAR!

1,2 and 3. (l-r): Jelly Nelly sandals, Havaianas, Sun Saltwater Sandals

I discovered Jelly Nelly sandals last Expo Kid where they were one of the exhibitors. The owner Johanna and her daughter were manning their booth selling these colorful, fun plastic sandals that came in kids and adult sizes. I wanted to get matching pairs for Reese and I but Reese had a similar pair already so I just purchased a pair for myself. I love my Jelly Nellies! They’re easy to wear, and are lightweight and comfy.

Since 2005, we’ve been working with Havaianas Philippines and handling their events, such as Make Your Own Havaianas, and even if we weren’t, I would probably still be a true Havaianatico. I have my basic pairs to wear with jeans and a tee, I have metallic slims to wear with my summer dresses, we all wear our Havaianas to the park, the mall, the supermarket, and on trips to the beach, its all we ever really need on our feet. We just also love its brand message: “With Havaianas, summer never has to end!” ahhhhh!

For my daughter, I love Sun-San Salt Water Sandals. She’s on her second pair already and it’s not because the previous one got broken. They’re so durable, her old pair can still look new when we pass it on to my niece to wear. Honestly, I’ve become quite picky buying shoes for my kids because it’s too often that I buy a pair and they start complaining that it’s “owie” or it just breaks after a week, and these don’t come cheap. So now I choose to invest in SaltWater Sandals for my daughter’s everyday footwear. What makes it a great summer pick is that these sandals are completely waterproof and washable. I also love that they now have metallic shades, check out the gold pair I got for Reese from Mothercare’s new branch in BGC.

SUMMER PROTECTION:

4 & 5. Headware and Parakito

Zach’s Headware and Parakito. He is obviously into camo.

Now let’s talk about coverage and protection. These two products I totally love. Headware because the prints are fun and hip, the fabric is light and cool and it’s such a hip, easy way to keep my kids’ head protected from sun, my hair in place, and just an overall fun accessory to use. Parakito for me is one of, if not the best ways to protect the kids from mosquitoes. I also actually love By Nature’s Mosquito Repellent Oil which is also very effective, natural and keeps skin moisturized, and I use that often too. When I want to give my kids’ skin a rest, or when they are up for an active day in gymnastics or tennis, I strap on their Parakitos on their wrists or ankles, and their Off! (pun not intended hehehe)!

BATH PRODUCTS:

6 Lactacyd Toddler Tubs

Admittedly I initially took this product (Lactacyd Toddler Tubs) for granted because I thought it would be the same as the Lactacyd Baby Bath which I used and loved for my kids when they were infants. But when our client and friend from Sanofi, makers of Lactacyd mentioned this was a product perfect for kids spending time in the pool this summer, I tried it on my own kids and totally love it now. I inherited dry skin from my mom so my kids are prone to dry skin too so I always use bath products that have moisturizing properties in it. I switched from my old two-in-one wash, which I found to be extremely drying, and now use Lactacyd Toddler Tubs after my kids go swimming. They used it also after spending the days out in the sun and on the sand. The consistency is like a light shampoo but after showering they smelled so fresh, and their skin was soft. I’ll have this in my bath pouch this summer, along with the product below.

7. Tiny Buds Rice Powder

I stopped using baby powder when I read somewhere that talc can actually be harmful when accidentally ingested. So when I read about Tiny Buds Rice Powder being hypoallergenic and made from 100% rice grain, I thought I’d go back to using powder this summer, with the season being extra hot this year (did you notice, every day is declared the “hottest day”?). I like putting powder on the kids backs to keep their backs dry from perspiration. I also love putting powder on the kids and on me after a swim and shower because it’s so much easier to put on clothes! No need for wiggling into pants and undies haha.

BEACH!
8. UV Sense

This is an interesting product given to me by Mommy Mundo mompreneur, Helen of Hatch and Latch. The bracelet changes color (to light pink) to signify when it’s time to re-apply sunblock lotion on you and your kids. It also changes color (to pale yellow) to advise the wearer to cover up and get out of the sun. I found this to be super handy specially when I told the kids of the color signals, they were the ones running to me to get a fresh layer of sunblock.

My “modern mom” SAND TOYS

9. The Scrunch Bucket

First the Scrunch Bucket. I bought this from mompreneur Czarina Ty of Wee+Mutsi last year. The Scrunch Bucket is a silicone bucket that, as its name suggest you can scrunch up in any which way and it keeps its shape. Check out my scrunch bucket, er, I mean, Reese’s scrunch bucket in our suitcase, scrunched up right in the middle of my Aquazorb towels (see number 11)–

10. Green Toys Pail & Shovel Set

The other amazing sand toy I love! It’s made by Green Toys, an award-winning brand of earth-friendly toys, currently distributed by Numa Baby Store.

What’s wonderful about this product is that it’s actually made from 100% recycled milk jugs. Imagine the technology put behind this product, just to make it eco-friendly, or one write-up described it as “eco-groovy”. Love it. This sand play set is phthalate- and BPA-free. (I better take a second look at that uber pink Disney Princess sand set of my little one.)

SWIM!
11. Personalized Aquazorb Towels

Love, love, love Aquazorb towels! (I’m beginning to sound like Oprah here hehe) Get the one with the finer, heavier feel because it’s more absorbent than the other kind. I love these “hightech” towels because they’re perfect to bring on swim trips and travels. They are light and compact, thus they don’t take too much space in a suitcase. They dry easily, as in really fast so when you pack up they won’t be soaking wet! and what’s special with my Aquazorb towels which I ordered from Ria Mackay of Aqualogic Swim Co is that they’re personalized so each member of my family has one and we don’t end up using each other’s towels!

12. Swim Ways Papasan Spring Float

Omg, i can still remember when Coby was around 6 and he wanted to bring his giant inflatable whale that Uncle Jude gave him to the beach. I was thinking of what kind of pump I had to bring, otherwise Gary and I might get blue in the face just trying to blow that thing up for our (then) little boy. Because of memories like this, I totally LOVE this swim float. It’s a bit pricey for a swim toy but if you are willing to splurge a bit, I assure you it will give you a lot of space in your suitcase (hmm notice how I value portability in most of my product picks?), very minimal (almost nill) time and effort blowing anything up, a lot of fun floating around with such ease, then packing away in, what, 2 seconds.

I love this product so much I have these photo series showing us all enjoying our Papasan–

CLOSE

OPEN

BOYS SWIM

DADDY SWIM

GIRL SWIM

PACK & CARRY

Amazing right? I love this product so much I asked the distributor if he can sell it at our events but they don’t normally do bazaars so we are selling it for him at Expo Mom or you can also get it in SPF stores.

CAR TRAVEL MUST HAVES:

13. Spinkie My Favorite Blanket

My kids love having pillows and comfort stuff in the car during long drives and Reese just loves her Spinkie blanket. Wish it were a bit bigger (but I guess this is really meant for babies) but we love this blanket because it’s super soft! Like all Spinkie products, it’s made of 100% cotton with designer prints. The back side is a fabric that’s called “soft minky” and Reese and I love putting our cheeks to it because it really is so soft.

14. Peapod Baby Art Bucket

Reese also loves bringing her art stuff along and we got her this Art bucket from Peapod Baby. Bundle it with a pad of white paper and this keeps her happy and busy for hours and hours. Peapod products also come in really nice prints and they specialize in travel essentials for kids.

15. Tagz Bag Tags (Design your own!)

Bag Tags are another essential in my book, not only for school days but for travel time. What I like about Tagz is that they allow you to submit your own design, or you can also send photos or elements then they design it for you. Check out my Lego fanatic’s bag tag. He took a photo of his fave mini figs–

I emailed it to Tagz, and voila, it’s something Zach proudly puts on his bag.

It makes me happy to share this list of my summer faves here because I believe that products are invented to ultimately make life easier and more fun for all of us. And that’s what summer is really all about– making sure we set aside time for some easy, relaxing moments, fun bonding and adventures with people that matter most. Wishing you all a happy summer!

—
Guess what! Some of my chosen brands would like to treat you guys and our Mommy Pages readers to some of their wonderful products! Check out the Mommy Pages website for our summer giveaway!

Prizes at stake:
(1) pair of Sun Saltwater Sandals
(1) pair of Havianas flip flops
(1) Swim Ways Spring Float
(3) pieces of Headware
(1) Scrunch Bucket from Wee+Mutsi
(1) Green Toy Pail set from Numa
(1) Lactacyd Toddler Tubs gift pack

Go to the Mommy Pages website now and get a chance to win my summer faves! Click here:
MOMMY PAGES SUMMER GIVEWAY. Good luck!:)

My friend Vanessa eating ice cream from a beaker…

We had a warm welcome from Aedi, the female robot. This was of course the launch of the first world-class science museum in the Philippines, the Mind Museum at Taguig.

We had a great experience with some of the 200+ exhibits inside.  Coby had a hair-raising experience with the Static Ball…

Here, Zach saw his heartbeat in a visual way– if you hold on to the sensor, the light goes on and off based on your actual heart beat!

This was our favorite part- the Shadow Box. You enter a cave-like room, and pose across a light. Wait for the light to flash, then see your shadow on the phosphorescent wall. The image stays for 15 seconds until it fades away.

Check us out, sitting in front of the Villanueva family shadow portrait. Wish I had a phosphorescent wall at home:)

We also learned about fossils in this area

Then there was Stan, the T.rex–

See Reese at the center. She obviously did not like him.

So I tried to lighten the mood by showing Reese how tiny we were compared to gigantic Stan. Just look at the difference in our foot size!

That, of course, did not help at all. Sheesh, mom.

On the second floor, we came across Mimo, the mind museum omnibot who roams around the area and automatically avoids obstacles

Reese loved playing the harp that functioned on lasers. It made music but had no strings!

Gary tried out the machines that supposedly were used at different points of history

Our visit to the Mind Museum was a well-spent afternoon which everyone enjoyed. From me and Gary, our kids whose ages range from 5 to 14. It was a mix of fun and education, and that it THE best way to learn.

The kids and I with the Mind Museum’s Operations Manager, Chiqui Batac, and curator, Maribel Garcia (1st and 2nd from the left)

Personally I’d like to thank all the donors who helped fund the Mind Museum project, for all the people who are working so hard the past 5 years to bring this project from just being an idea to the reality that it is now. Our children and all who come after will greatly benefit from your passionate work!

The Mind Museum officially opens on March 16! It is advisable to book your tickets online before going because tours are scheduled.  The Mind Museum’s official website is www.themindmuseum.org. Our Mommy Mundo feature on the Mind Museum is here.

He collects Lego sets, mini figs,

and Lego merchandise.

He even researches on Lego trends when he’s online and his ultimate dream is to have a machine that will allow him to customize Lego pieces that are not sold in the stores! #LegObsessed.

Late last year, he told us he read that Lego is launching a new line of themed sets made specially for girls. First I thought, but isn’t Lego made for boys AND girls? When Gary and I saw the new Lego Friends line on our recent trip abroad, we knew what Zach and Lego meant.

Beside the Star Wars sets, Bionicle, and Ninjago was the new line, and it was 100% girly. It seemed like the sets were in all pink and purple shades, from packaging down to the bricks. I think Lego planned its line up of sets right, the Butterfly Beauty Shop, Olivia’s Tree House, Stephanie’s Outdoor Bakery. There was a Pet Shop, Cafe, Vet clinic, and several more. Well thought-out themes any girl would love!

We got Reese the Beauty Salon plus the Outdoor Bakery as an add on. For sure, she’ll enjoy these, and Kuya, the Lego connoiseure, would be amazed to see them after just reading about in the news.

Sure enough, she loved it and Zach was amazed. She wanted to open it and assemble the morning after we arrived.  I was so tempted to just grab the bricks and assemble the yummy- colored pieces myself but I consciously stopped myself. I let Reese do it herself with me just guiding her, making sure she did every step right. I also begged requested forced her to let me be the one to put the stickers on.:P

We finished the salon structure

Tadaaa!

Then started on the interiors and little accessories.


Goooosh, look at these cute mini lipsticks!!!

When I say mini, i mean mini!

Mini Lipstick/ Lego brick, 1:100

Mini Lipstick/ Reese’s face, 1:1000

Cute is in the details. There’s a swivel chair, mirrors, wigs and the mini lipsticks, cashier and a tub of tiny brushes, blow dryers and combs.

The completed Salon and Cafe and the Lego Friends Ladyfigs: Sarah, Stephanie, Emma

The Kuya comes to inspect our work

Hmmmm…..

Hmmm…..

Yay! We got a thumbs up!

I can see someone’s (dancing) feet closely following in her Kuya’s footsteps as a Lego fan.

We looove lego! It’s one of our fave toys for our kids- encouraging focus and concentration, it develops their fine motor skill, teaches them to follow sequencing and visual instructions. It also teaches patience, delayed gratification and just allows them to enjoy quiet play and creative fun!

See more info on Lego Friends here. According to the Philippine distributor of Lego, LAJ Philippines, Lego Friends should be out in local stores by February.
Meanwhile, I now have a pair of Lego fans at home, brother and sister, who are also Lego friends:)

P.S. Apparently there protests in the US against Lego accusing them of gender-biased marketing.
Sorry but after having two sons, I have gone through all the sporty stuff, Hot Wheels, Beyblades, video games, you name it, I am now totally enjoying my little girl along with all the girly, crafty, princessy, pink and purple things she loves. Like in most things, the key I believe is in balancing things out. Reese has a sporty side, she plays basketball, loves football, and being active, but she has no interest at all in cars and toy planes and I don’t think it’s for lack of exposure.
So I say, Great job, Lego!

Thank you for all the memorable projects–

Events that are not only successful but fun and fulfilling…

Make Your Own Havaianas, an event we’ve helped organize the past 6 years

Opportunities and new successes…

Following Mercato Centrale, our new markets–

Soderno in the South

with our partners, RJ & Van Ledesma, Anton & Rache Diaz (Thank you OAP for the photo)

and Distrito.

This year, I was able to tick several items off my bucket list in terms of work…

Brought Expo Mom to Cebu and Davao

with Expo Mom Davao partner and former high school batchmate, Marisa Salonga-Tiongko

Published my Mom 24/7 planner, finally!

Guesting at ShopTalk to promote Mom 24/7, with Ana Araneta of Carousel, and ShopTalk host Ria Trillo


and Travel…

Finally experienced CamSur and

visited Palawan’s Subterranean River

Visited Vietnam with Gary

Ben Thanh Market, HCMC Vietnam

and brought our kids to the Great Wall of China

It was a year of doing new things–

Running my first 10k with Gary

Joining Zach in his pottery class with Mia Casal

Being a columnist at Working Mom Magazine

It was a year of people coming…

my new cutie nephew, Jake

And going…

One of our Creative Juice team members, Tiff (extreme left) bids us farewell. Best of luck, Tiff!

I end another year making peace with people and with myself, grateful for all the blessings and challenges that came my way, humbly accepting that there were things I could have done or handled better, and thankful for another fresh start to try to be a better wife, mom, friend, daughter and sister, employer, human being.

My wish for 2012, is that I continue to–

Find inspiration in the simple

Savor the love of my family

and friends

and people who I want to reach dreams and goals with

Creative Juice in HK

Candy and Rome, my partners, Mommy Mundo mompreneurs and sponsors

Take time to explore

Coby & Zach, Snake Island, Palawan

Have fun and be silly (sometimes)

with Kindermusik supergirls, Teacher Maya and Teacher Jeannie

Have more Laugh Out Loud moments

Gary and the Wahahaha water in China

Take more opportunities to share

at the Sense & Style/ Manila Bulletin Mother’s day event where i spoke about mompreneurship. (Thanks for the opportunity, AA Patawaran!)

Never forget to CARE for others

Zach at the MomShare outreach

To keep reaching for new heights

While keeping my feet on the ground (better yet, in the sand)

Our family photo, Boracay

But if there is nothing else, I just want more moments with these in my close view

and

and 2012 will be just as memorable as it can possibly be.

Thank you God for life and for all the love. AMDG+

So the boys stayed home with their Lola babysitting them (Thanks Mom!) while Gary, Reese and I went on our own adventure. The Monday after our event in Naga City, we took a 30 minute ride to CWC and checked out the Camsur Waterpark Complex. With our Creative Juice team running the Camsur Marathon that early morning, we wanted to see this world-class wakeboarding complex since we have never been there before.

I had no plans of trying out wakeboarding (I didn’t bring the gear i.e. strong arms and sheer guts), but wanted to check out the giant inflatables on water that I heard our kids would enjoy. So when we got to CWC after a 30 minute ride from Naga City, we saw the man-made lake, set up with giant inflatables and we knew we were in for some serious fun!

We checked out the available facilities and fees and went on to get our life jackets

and was happy to know they had jackets for everyone, even the little girl

Off we go….

We first tried out the inflatable obstacle course. This was totally harder to go on than it looked. I now have a new-found respect for Wipe-out contestants

We quickly gave up on that one and swam to what also looked like fun

the trampoline on water. It was hard to get some height but i guess if you weigh around 60 pounds that shouldn’t be a problem…

If you were more than 60 pounds though, that’s another story….

There were two inflatable icebergs and Gary thought he would climb one…

Again, harder than it looks! Either that or we should seriously start getting fit!

Gary made it to the top

then slid down…

Reese and i tried the smaller iceberg too!

Then we saw these boys playing on one side of the water park…the adult guide would jump on the inflatable

and the little boys would fly out…wheee!

Of course I convinced the guy to let me try! So he jumps as high as he could, and with perfect precision, lands on the target…

but then the gods of projectile were not on my side that day. Immediately i looked back to check if the guy was still alive. LOL

Plunk….there’s my little splash:P

That was fun afternoon at CWC! Though as parents, 2/3 of our hearts were left in Manila and we kept wishing the whole time our boys were with us. Even Reese kept saying she wants to go back with her Kuyas.  Perhaps we can go back someday soon with everyone in tow. For now, Gary and I need to get into the program lest we plan to get “wiped out” again!

After a successful run of Khaos, which my kids, hubby and I also thoroughly enjoyed, Resorts World wanted to stage a show that is even more for families. Since my kids were familiar with the show and the music, they were also looking forward to their favorite songs namely “Do-re-mi”, “So long, farewell”, “My Favorite Things”, “Sixteen going on Seventeen” and of course, The hills are alive…., “The Sound of Music”.

Joanna Ampil was wonderful and captivating in her role as Maria. It was my first time to see her perform (Gary saw her at Miss Saigon in Broadway), and I loved her clear and clean voice. The children were also so entertaining, and they sounded beautiful when they sang in chorus and did beautifully in their solos too. Among the kids, standouts for me were Tanya Manalang who played Liesl and the youngest child Gretel, played by Alexa Villaroel, was a pint-sized scene stealer.

Although the “Lonely Goatherd” puppet show scene was not made part of the production,

Photo from Justafewofmyfavoritethings.blogspot.com

The show was 3-hours long with a 15-minute intermission. Since we caught an evening show, my youngest feel asleep by the tail end.

With my boys at the vestibule. Reese was on her dad’s shoulders while he took this pic.

With the cardboard version of Capt. Von Trapp while I was being interviewed about my fave Sound of Music scene (Oh it was hard to choose!)

We had fun at the Sound of Music that night and we also found out that Resorts World Manila is building up it’s family-friendly facilities when they open the ultimate play zone for kids by December 2011! It will be called GAMEZOO which will have a 6D theatre, 3d rollercoaster, a sportszone, soft play area. Wow! Can’t wait for this one!:)

He’s a father who is like a coach, a playmate, strict usually, loving always. A true partner in parenting (…except in changing soiled nappies, but then we are past that stage now:)!

We work together and have fun together. He knows when to give me room to move on my goals and when to step in to take over or to give support. We can brainstorm together, argue on what we believe in individually, and do our best work with our team. At the end of the day, we can go home and just be…together.

When I was in my teens, my brother asked what I would look for in a husband. I answered I want someone “who is ‘kenkoy’.” No wonder my Dad locked me up at home after hearing this LOL. So God heard me and then I met Gary (haha!) and we have been together for almost 22 years (more than half my life!). Little did Dad know that living with someone ‘kenkoy’ is one of the secret ingredients to a happy marriage.


There are a lot of things I love about this guy, but the best thing I love is that he can still make me laugh…

HaHaHaHappy birthday, hon! Thanks for everything:)

We spent the day at home, begging off from our Mercato Centrale meetings as the howling winds outside our window were too scary to face. We were just lounging around in our bedroom all morning, so by the afternoon, Gary decided to invite the kids to make some pizzas! Yay!

Reese brought out the pizza crust

and spread the pizza sauce

while Zach chopped up the ham and the salami

then Reese started grating the cheese

Then the fun part! Putting all the toppings on the crust!


Our pizza’s almost ready to pop into the oven

Then there’s the finished pizza, straight from the oven! Yum!!

I sliced it up (and made a mental note to buy a pizza cutter from Gourdo’s next time!), and look who joined us in time for the eating…Kuya Coby!

The pizzas were wiped out in just a few minutes (stormy days can make you hungry!)

and we couldn’t help but celebrate…

Inspired by Dad & Reese’s Pizza Cheer and just having watched the UAAP Cheerdance competition on tv the day before, Reese and I decided to make pompoms…

So how did the V’s spend their stormy day? With Pizza, Pompoms and a whole lotta cheer!

We originally planned to stay at Pearl Farm where we stayed 13 years ago when we were just parents of 1. But it was fully booked, so I texted my friend Marga who lives in Davao and she recommended Chema’s by the Sea on Samal Island.

In true Villanueva (and mompreneur) fashion, we kept full focus on our business the first two days, completing a thankfully successful event with our Creative Juice team in SM Davao. As soon as that was done, we went on to a well-deserved vacation.

Getting ready to leave Davao City for Samal Island

We headed to the Waterfront Insular hotel and took a boat ride from there.

My boys on the boat

Zach's the king of the world...AAAAHHH!

After just 10-15 minutes, we were welcomed into a charming and cozy resort.

We had arrived early so while waiting for our check-in time, Chema’s owner Quincho Guico made us feel right at home. We found out that Quincho, who used to live in Manila, was part-owner of the Jazz Rhythms bars that were popular in the 90′s. No wonder there was always great jazz music playing at Chema’s and a round of beer to welcome us.

Gary and Quincho were instant beer buddies:)

Since the tide was still low, Zach and Reese went off to explore together. I must say, scenes like these I’d like to remember forever.

We were soon brought to our villa, and then we immediately knew that we were in a special place.

The entrance to our villa

Beautiful interiors. Beds just enough for our family of 5. plus one of my favorite design elements- a red brick wall. Chema’s gets 5 stars in my book:)

Each villa has a cozy lanai with this cozy and inviting daybed

and a dining area where all meals are served. One staff member was assigned to us and she quickly came to our doorstep at the ring of a bell.

The beach was quiet, almost private. We didnt mind staying out from the afternoon…

to sunset…

to almost sundown…

The next morning, i woke up early, feeling well and rested, there was time for some solo brainstorming that morning. Reese saw me and brought out her coloring book and crayons and sat with me. The boys awoke one by one and crawled in with me as well.

Snapshot of a mom moment, taken by Gary

The next day we spent some time in the infinity pool. Kids were amazed as it was a salt water pool!

Quincho took care of us so well. A father of two grown daughters, he even shared with me several reasons why I should allow my teen to his first soiree…

Thank you Tito Quincho! -Coby

Chemas by the sea is an ideal place for families who want some simple quiet time. It was one of the most relaxing getaway weekends for us. At Chema’s we collected pretty shells and sticks…

and beautiful memories.

Like Chema’s by the Sea on Facebook.

Perhaps I was inspired by our recent project. We were invited to partner for this wonderful event of LAJ Philippines, the Philippine distributor of my son’s all-time, favorite toy, LEGO. In partnership with the Department of Tourism, LAJ’s team and their master brick builders created this first-ever, Philippine themed LEGO exhibit which opened last August 12 at the Main Atrium of the Mall of Asia.

I got goosebumps during the formal unveiling. With the song “Biyahe Tayo” playing in the background, and after official statements from Department of Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim and LAJ’s Patrick Pesengco, the fabric covering was removed and everyone was in awe at the Lego creation, obviously a labor of Pinoy pride and passion. The collaboration was visually awesome, a giant Philippine map made fully with Lego bricks-

it featured some of our country’s most beautiful landmarks and tourist attractions. These were some of my favorites:

As part of the event, a photo exhibit highlighting our country’s human resources was also set up. The exhibit’s theme was “passion to inspire” and formally titled “Ang Galing ng Pilipinas, ang Galing ng Pilipino.”

Believe it or not, I was one of the featured personalities in this exhibit!

Prior to the event, we were asked to make a Lego creation that would symbolize my work and passion. Zach took care of that easily! He came up with a mom figure which we held with a house which was provided to us. Here’s a photo of Zach building his “Lego mommy”–

When that was done, we went to the Picture Company for our family pictorial which turned out to be so much fun! I think the photo came out very nice!


My write up read:

It was a real honor to be part of this exhibit. While my motivation to work and to reach my goals is not for fame nor recognition, I would have to admit that it feels good to get a pat on the back once in a while:) What made me feel so good about this exhibit was that the recognition being given was not wholly focused on what I had accomplished, but more on the passion I had in me– to try to make a difference, to help others, and to make the most of whatever talents and resources I’ve been blessed with.

Knowing that someone out there (Thank you, Lego!) had actually noticed not only my work but moreso my motivations- – meant that maybe, just maybe, I might be on the right track to making my humble contribution to the world!:)

With that, my family and I are off to explore more of our beautiful country! I’ll make sure to share our discoveries with you here!:)

Read more about the Lego PIlipinas, Tara Na! event here.