Quick break in Cebu

Posted on July 24, 2011 by janice

How would you describe a great vacation?  For moms like me, the criteria for accommodations would include kid-friendly facilities, family-friendly ambience and amenities, safety and security for young children, a kids’ menu, and the like. In Cebu, Shangri-la Mactan was always our family favorite so when we heard of this place, I wanted to visit and see how it fared in my mommy scale. We finally got the chance to visit Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort & Spa the day after our successful run of Expo Mom Cebu.  With our two younger kids, Gary and I decided to take the last flight home to Manila and get ourselves a day pass at Imperial. Z & R were super excited after seeing photos of the place online.  Sadly, our eldest who couldn’t join us due to schoolwork:(.

It took a little less than an hour to get to Imperial from our hotel near Ayala Center Cebu. Upon arriving at Imperial Palace, we were directed to the lobby area where day guests could register. Our kids immediately noticed the uncanny resemblance of the lobby to Shangrila Mactan so I guess that’s why they immediately felt at home.

We were happy to find out that each Day Pass already included 1) Towel and Locker use 2) Food worth P1000 3) 1 hour at the Kids Zone 4) 20% off dinner, and of course use of all the pools and the waterpark.

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They gave each of us these wristbands to wear.
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A baby shower for a super mom

Posted on July 22, 2011 by janice

I’ve known celebrity mom, tv host, triathlete, Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan since elementary. While we weren’t super close friends in grade school (plus she left for the States for High school), we managed to keep in touch in our adult years. We found ourselves with the same passion, doing parenting advocacy work, myself with Mommy Matters and Mommy Mundo while Maricel and husband Anthony, with The Parenting Company.
It’s always a joy seeing Maricel, even if it’s usually because of work-related matters…

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Maricel and I with Coach Rio at Make Your own Havaianas, an event which our events agency (Creative Juice) helps organize annually

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Maricel readily obliged when we asked her to be on the cover of the early issues of our magazine, Urban Mom

Because she’s such a warm person, our conversations always end up as engaging chatting sessions between two women-mommy-friends. Though usually brief, I feel blessed to have these occasional talks with her because it’s always a joy getting to know her more- about her kids, her life as a runner-triathlete, and a woman of faith.

One day, Maricel called me to share with me some news ” Janice, i have to drop out of the TBR Dream Marathon (her first 42K marathon which we organize for thebullrunner.com). I immediately asked “But why???” and her answer was a surprise, “….because I’m pregnaaaant!” I answer, “Whaaaa…. woooow!! Congratulations!!!” This was truly happy news! (I didnt tell Maricel then that at the back of my mind i was thinking: Maricel and I are the same age, that means I can still get pregnant too…stress..haha!)

This would be this supermom’s 5th baby. With this pregnancy coming many years after her 4th child, Benjamin, Maricel had given away all her baby stuff and equipment to friends and family as she thought she was officially ‘retired’ from the world of pregnancy and labor. So a month before her delivery date, Maricel was putting together her shopping list, and it was turning out to be a long one, she started becoming overwhelmed. Good thing her super thoughtful MomWorks staff rolled up their sleeves and put together a surprise baby shower for her.
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Yes, I run! :-P

Posted on June 17, 2011 by janice

My sister is a famous celebrity runner-blogger.
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photo from The Bull Runner

So, I get asked quite often, “Do you also run?”

To which I answer: “YES!…around my village….once…in….a…blue…moon….”

So when our landlord and events partner Fun Ranch told us they wanted us to organize a fun run for kids, i knew it was my golden opportunity to show off the level of my running. I can run, with my kids. Or at least that’s when I find it most enjoyable. :)
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My little firework

Posted on May 13, 2011 by janice

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She’s always loved singing. From the usual repertoire of kids’ songs, now, she’s taken it all to a different level. With the influence of shows like Glee, repetitive exposure to Daddy’s ipod, and her unquestionable access to a gene pool and ancestry that will lead her to a flourishing career in theatre or song (okay, there’s a bit of fantasy injected in there), our little girl keeps us awed and entertained every time she starts singing along to a new song.

Reese sings Katy Perry’s FIREWORK with such conviction and heart (check out the hand actions and her expressive face), she gives a whole new meaning to the word “inspirational”.

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PURGING (A belated Ash Wednesday post)

Posted on April 23, 2011 by janice

I wrote this post in March. Thought it would be good timing to be posting this on Easter Sunday….

A few weeks ago, I became a statistic, joining the unfortunate ranks of victims of “salisi gangs” when my Mac was stolen from me.  MAC CROP

Bye bye, mac:(
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Boracay Bonding

Posted on February 9, 2011 by janice

Just a few weeks to go and it will be summertime already! (Although our client, Havaianas says it’s summer all year round!)

So i’m already thinking of where to bring the kids this time, and seeing where I can squeeze in a bonding trip for us, amidst all the summer events we’ve got in our Creative Juice schedule and in between all the kids’ summer activities (Coby told me last week “Mom, I’m going to take up 4 things this summer! wow:) ).

We spent the sem break last October in Boracay, and that was super memorable. I had always wanted to go to Bora with my family because the first (and last) time I went was to manage logistics for the winner of Havaianas’ Flipping for the Beach contest. While I was there on official work mode, it was a great experience because we were part of a well-planned itinerary, prepared by our Mercato Centrale partner and Our Awesome Planet publisher, Anton Diaz whose objective was to allow the winner to experience the BEST that Boracay had to offer courtesy of Havaianas. So last year, when I went back with my family, I finally had the chance to experience all these again, this time with Gary and the kids.

We were welcomed by the white sand
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and loved frolicking in the water
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Christmas Crafts

Posted on December 14, 2010 by janice

So happy I was able to sneak in some crafts time in my busy schedule. I’ve always wanted to make a simple wreath for my door but then I was shopping for Christmas decor, I’d see beautiful, bountiful wreaths in Rustans, and would be tempted to just get one off the racks. But then, seeing the price tag on that wreath-of-my-desire, right beside a bare frame which cost a little over 600 bucks, I took on the challenge of making a wreath this year, and funnel my savings of more than 2000 pesos to other gifts.

So i bought a bare wreath frame and brought out my basket of pine cones which I’ve kept for almost 3 years (much to the chagrin of my interior designer / stylist friend Jo Claravall)
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and got some painting materials
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A special gift for Reese

Posted on October 10, 2010 by janice

Now that Christmas is near I know I have to already decide on what presents to give to the people in my Christmas gift list. This year I am challenging myself to come up with more personalized gifts, just so my loved ones would know how extra special they are to me. It’s heartwarming to receive a gift that is well thought out, knowing the giver took that extra time and effort to think of what you might like and enjoy.  One such gift was given by my new sister-in-law Tonette to Reese when she turned 4.  The package was beautifully wrapped in tulle with a big bright ribbon…

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Inside was an amazing collection of cups and bowls, an assortment of little plates and glasses…I could imagine Tonette looking through each piece and carefully placing it inside the box…
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We brought out the pieces and found each one to be special and full of character… Continue reading →

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How to Make a Baby Girl

Posted on September 17, 2010 by janice

We were a family of 4 for 7 years before she came along.
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Our last photo as a family of 4

Time came and we felt ready for one more child, and the obvious prayer was to have a daughter as a “grand finale”. We checked my sister’s Chinese “sex determination chart” then I downloaded all the info I could find on the net after googling “How to make a baby girl”. Printed it all out (for easy reference) and ended up with an inch-thick “manual” of sorts.

Recommendations would be given on the type of food or drink you should ingest, the type of underwear you should wear, when to have intercourse, sexual positions, what vaginal wash to use, to influence your baby-to-be’s gender. Some people would swear by the effectivity of some tips, but on the next post, another person would say those same tips did not work for them. So after going through the pages in our “manual” and still not getting those two lines in the pregnancy kit, we threw up our hands, and said, “It’s up to you, God!” and prayed. Just a month after our submission to fate (and faith), we got pregnant! Then faced the heavens and said, “Bahala ka na, Lord!” And after 9 months, tons of novena prayers, He blessed us with our little girl…
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Reese at 1 week old
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My Super Lovable Middle Child

Posted on August 29, 2010 by janice

He’s sweet
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and funny.
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See the similarities? hehe.

He’s into soccer… Continue reading →

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