AMEN!

Read this quote at a local actress' IG account (itago natin sya sa pangalang Kim Chiu, haha!)

Our life is meant to be lived  . . .love it and learn from it =)  

Image from raininginpdx.blogspot.com

Krispy Kreme's Truffle Creams

Dropped by Krispy Kreme yesterday and saw their new offering. . .Truffle creams!  They had me at Truffles, haha!

They come in 6 flavors:  Chocolate Chocolate Kreme, Chocolate Chocolate Mocha, Vanilla Strawberry Kreme, Vanilla White Chocolate Mocha, Vanilla Chocolate Caramel and Chocolate Chocolate Caramel.

I got a box of 3 for Php 150 - 1 Chocolate Kreme and 2 Mocha

Here's a look inside . . .

They actually reminded me of cake pops.  It's really a doughnut cake with thick choco/mocha frosting.  They taste okay, I was actually expecting the inside to be more fudgy (because the name had truffles in it!  Haha!).  For Php50/piece, I would get something else to satisfy my sweet tooth. 

One thing I'm impressed with though. . .  

their packaging!  Lovely and elegant

Hope your weekend was full of sweet moments =)

Why I love Packing!

I saw this from a friend's FB post and found it funny!  It reminded me of Hubby and me.

Hubby is actually the one on the LEFT and I am the one on the RIGHT, haha!

Whenever we travel, he packs for us. . . for all of us!  Since he's really good at it, I let him do it (gladly! ).  Hey, not that I don't do anything, I put out everything that needs to be packed and then he takes it from there. (we make a good team! )  

And that is why I love Packing. . . because Hubby does it, Haha!  Yes ladies, I am one lucky gal! =)

I love you Big J and we miss you!  Here's to more family adventures and vacations!

Hope you're all having a relaxing weekend =)

The "H Deficiency"

No, I am not referring to some health/medical disorder but I am referring to the Kapampangan's "missing H" syndrome.  (Kapampangans are the people from the province of Pampanga, which is located in the Central Luzon Region of the Philippines)  Yes, we tend to omit our "Hs" in words when we speak.  I'll let our Little Miss show you what this is all about.  

The heart shape is the first shape that the Little Miss learned.  But we noticed that instead of saying "Heart", she says "Art".  So we teach her the right way to pronounce it . . . everyday!

Me:  Baby, say "Heeaaarrt"

Little Miss: "Art"

Me: No Baby, it's HHHearrrt (with an emphasis on the H)

LM: "Art"

Me: What about "Hat"? Say "HHHaaatt"

LM: "At"

Me: Okay, say Hellooo

LM: "E-Ohhh"

Me: It's He-He-Hellooo

LM: "E-Ohhhh"

Me: Say "Hiiiiiii"

LM: "Iiiiiii"

*Sigh* Oh yes, there's definitely Kapampangan blood running through her veins!  

A a a a!  (That's my Kapampangan side, laughing! Haha!)

*************************************************************************************
Just in case you're wondering why we do have this "H" syndrome, I've read in Wikipedia that in our dialect, we lack the *phoneme "H" as compared to the other Philippine languages.  

*Phoneme means The smallest phonetic unit in a language that is capable of conveying a distinction in meaning, as the m of mat and the b of bat in English. (www.thefreedictionary.com)

Pink O' Plenty

Hubby's (Big J ) wardrobe consists mostly of blacks, blues, grays and whites.  There was one time that I saw a cute pink polo shirt and told him to get it so he can put some color in his wardrobe.  He sort of gave me that look . . . "me?  in pink???"  And I told him that real men wear pink!  Haha!  While pink may be considered a feminine color,  when a man wears pink, he just exudes some air of confidence.  (Say Aye if you agree!)

Just look at Mr. Beckham!

Photo from kitmeout.com

So to develop Little J's confidence, I let him use some pink stuff which were his sister's . . . just kidding!  Kidding on the developing his confidence part, but I wasn't kidding when I said he was using some pink stuff.  Since we already have some baby stuff plus some hand me downs from his cousins, I really didn't buy much for Little J.  I bought him a few essentials and the practical mom in me says that we can manage with what we already have.  

Yes, he has a few pink stuff. . .   

Care Bears pillow cases . . . which were lovingly made by Grandma
for our Little Miss

A pink (and floral at that!) blankie ---I know it's too. . . girly, haha!
But it's one of the most comfortable blankies ever! 

Pink bottles. . . but hey, his milk dispenser is bluueee!  Heehee

But as much as I'm okay with him using pink stuff. . . I won't ever let him use these!!!

This is where I draw the line!

Agree?  Haha!

Have a nice weekend with your loved ones! =)

Caffeinated

As I've mentioned in earlier posts, I miss having my coffee while I was pregnant.  Now that I've given birth, I can just relax and have all the caffeine (missed my Diet Coke too!) I want . . . well, except that I'm breastfeeding/expressing milk for Little J.  I read from Babycenter that when a mom consumes caffeine, a small percentage of it ends up in the breast milk.  A nursing mom can still enjoy her coffee as long as it is within the moderate amount (no more than 300 milligrams per day).  I'm glad the article came with a table which indicates the amount of caffeine in common foods and beverages.        

Coffee	Amount	Caffeine
coffee, generic brewed	8 oz	95-200 mg
coffee, Starbucks brewed	16 oz (grande)	330 mg
coffee, Dunkin' Donuts brewed	16 oz	211 mg
caffé latte, misto, or cappuccino, Starbucks	16 oz (grande)	150 mg
caffé latte, misto, or cappuccino, Starbucks	12 oz (tall)	75 mg
espresso, Starbucks	1 oz (1 shot )	75 mg
espresso, generic	1 oz (1 shot)	64 mg
coffee, generic instant	1 tsp granules	31 mg
coffee, generic decaffeinated	8 oz	2 mg

Tea	Amount	Caffeine
black tea, brewed	8 oz	47 mg
green tea, brewed	8 oz	25 mg
black tea, decaffeinated	8 oz	2 mg
Starbucks Tazo Chai Tea latte	16 oz (grande)	95 mg
instant tea, unsweetened	1 tsp powder	26 mg
Snapple	16 oz	42 mg
Lipton Brisk iced tea	12 oz	5 mg

Soft drinks	Amount	Caffeine
Coke	12 oz	35 mg
Diet Coke	12 oz	47 mg
Pepsi	12 oz	38 mg
Diet Pepsi	12 oz	36 mg
Jolt Cola	12 oz	72 mg
Mountain Dew	12 oz	54 mg
7-Up	12 oz	0 mg
Sierra Mist	12 oz	0 mg
Sprite	12 oz	0 mg

Energy drinks	Amount	Caffeine
Red Bull	8.3 oz	77 mg
SoBe Essential Energy, berry or orange	8 oz	48 mg
5-Hour Energy	2 oz	138 mg

Desserts	Amount	Caffeine
dark chocolate (70-85% cacao solids)	1 oz	23 mg
milk chocolate	1.55-oz	9 mg
coffee ice cream or frozen yogurt	8 oz	2 mg
hot cocoa	8 oz	8-12 mg
chocolate chips, semisweet	4 oz	53 mg
chocolate milk	8 oz	5-8 mg

So I guess I'm staying away from brewed coffee and settle for instant, drink all the 7-Up and Sprite that I want and indulge on the coffee ice cream that is sitting in the freezer right now!  Haha!  
Started my morning with one of my favorite drinks . . .

Best when CHILLED! 

It's definitely a caffeinated day for me! =)

My Feel Good Stuff

Just like our Little Miss' delivery, I gave birth to Little J by C-Section too.  I'm sure that anyone who will go under the knife would have his/her fears.  I think I was more scared this time around (compared to my first delivery) since I have an idea of how the procedure is going to be. . . what will happen, when it's going to happen. . . and having a mental image of those things didn't help at all!  Haha!

I stayed in the hospital for three days.  Besides the love and utmost concern from my dear Hubby (who may be thousands of miles away but managed to make his presence felt), my family and friends and the excellent care provided by the hospital staff, there are some things which made my stay at the hospital more bearable.

Colorful PJs!   All I can say is, colors just make everything brighter!      

Big THANK YOU to my  little sis for my PJs =)

Make-up - I remember a funny conversation I had with R, a dear friend.  We were talking about how to get that "natural, barely there" make-up look when our guy friend just jumped in and said, "If you want that kind of look, just don't put any make-up at all!"  He can't understand why women buy make up that would make them look not made up, haha!  (Mennnn!  Though come to think of it, he has a point, noh?) 

I am not big on make-up but I have enough stuff in my kit to give me a little color here and there.  After a couple of days of just lying down in the hospital bed, not being able to take a bath, I just want to look good and feel good about myself.  I know I should . . . because I am one happy mom!    

Blusher from Face Shop, Lip gloss from Etude House,
Burt's Bees Lip Balm and GAP Dream Cologne

My caffeine fix - This was probably one of the best tasting coffee I ever had (that is if you didn't have one for 9 months!  Haha!) It didn't matter that it came from a vendo machine, I just want my coffee!!!  It is probably one of the things I'll miss from the hospital, heehee . . .But in all fairness to Nescafe, their coffee actually tasted good and the vendo machine came with a lot of drink choices (you can even adjust the amount of sugar in your coffee)

Cappuccino "ala Vendo" - My 1st cup after a loooong time!

These may be just simple things but they did make me feel better while I was at the hospital. . . these AND a good dose of Epidural!  Haha!

Have a good week ahead!  

Hope you get to do something everyday to make you feel good =)